Water Over Stone
by Estriel
Summary: How do you get to a heart covered in stone? With constant tiny, tactful drops of warm water, and plenty of time. Seto Kaiba's chest is about to get rather wet... And the kitten helps too...S/T. Updated: 3rd January 2011.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer**:I own nothing related to Yu Gi Oh! (Except maybe a few plushies and random cards).

**Rating**: **_K plus_**. It may change- notification will be given at the very beginning of a chapter if this occurs.

**A/N:** Hi! Welcome to my fic, 'Melting Ice'. I hope you'll all let me know your opinions, and tell me about any mistakes I may have made. I am English, and have never been to Japan, so I would like to apologise for any mistakes my research didn't cover! Flames will be used to melt chocolate, so go ahead if you're that way inclined- but intelligent flames (something of a paradox, I know) are prefered!

* * *

**S**eto Kaiba, renowned duelist, CEO of an International Games Corporation, and as his acquaintances put it 'all round cold fish', was having 'one of **those **days'. It had begun with a phone call at 4am from the CEO of a subsidiary company in France, telling him that another company was aggressively buying them out, continued with a stubborn stain on his favorite coat, and presently, he was being forced to walk to school as his limo had a severe puncture. 

Mokuba, as usual, was happy merely being next to his big brother, and was running ahead, looking at all the things he had only seen from a car window until today. They were practically at Mokuba's school, but Domino High was far enough away that Seto Kaiba was going to be significantly late getting there, even if he ran.

"Hey! Seto, look at this!"

Seto briefly glanced at Mokuba, who was crouching over something by the side of the road.

"Mokuba, get away from the road. It's not safe."

Mokuba looked pleadingly at him, and Seto, as per usual, couldn't resist the drawing power of his little brother's ultimate weapon- **the dreaded** _**puppy eyes**_.

"It's a kitten, Seto! I think it's hurt…Can we keep it?" Mokuba pleaded sadly. Seto pushed him firmly away from the curb and took a look himself. It was a kitten, a rather soggy little black one with one white sock, and Mokuba was right, it did seem hurt, and cold, and small...

Glancing about to check there were no cars coming (or people watching), Seto handed his briefcase to Mokuba with a sigh of resignation, and carefully picked the small bundle up. It was quite cold, and fit snugly into Seto's hand, shivering a little.

"What are we going to do, Seto? It might need a vet! We are going to keep it, right?Poor little kitty…Just like us..." Mokuba carefully ran a finger gently over its ears, and was rewarded by the opening of a small eye.

Seto carried on walking, and Mokuba cautiously followed with the silver briefcase.

"I will take it to school and see if anyone can help it there. Hurry or you'll be late."

Mokuba grinned up at him, put the briefcase in Seto's hand, and ran over to his school gates, waving happily back before disappearing. Seto cursed softly; Mokuba was expecting him to bring the little cat home all fixed up, when truthfully, he had no idea what to do with it. He could take it to the school nurse, but how did he know she would give it all the care it needed? He looked down at the small cat and felt a tinge of warmth. He too knew what it was like to be an orphan, to rely on nobody, and to have to struggle to survive. Sometimes you needed a helping hand…

* * *

Flashback>

When they were young, the Kaiba brothers were inseparable. Unfortunately, it was often used against them. 'Sir', who ran the orphanage, disliked them, as Seto was 'a child genius' and often managed to run circles around him mentally, amusing his younger brother.

Seto, to save Mokuba a sharp slap, had agreed to clean up from dinner all by himself. Cleaning up after dinner for thirty hungry orphans and five staff had so far taken him from six thirty totwo thirty am- without a break. He was tired, so tired he thought he might drown in dishwater, but more than anything, he knew that if he gave up, Mokuba would be punished anyway, and all his hard work would be for nothing. He didn't see the small woman who had put her head around the door, and watched him sadly.

"Seto?"

He turned sharply, slipped on some water, and fell- to stop the plate from smashing, he ended up smacking his head on the floor. Hard. He lay there stunned, and suddenly, the scent of vanilla washed over him, and he felt strong arms pull him into a warm lap.

"Seto? Seto, pet, are you ok?"

He felt a rush of warmth towards her; 'Sir' had a younger sister, and it was she who had come to check on him. All the children loved her, but she lived in America and only visited a few times a year.

"Yes…Yes Miss Onibura. I'm sorry…"

He found himself tearing up, from sheer exhaustion and frustration, and Miss clearly understood just how he felt.

"It's ok, Seto. You can go to bed now- I spoke to my brot…I mean, Sir says you have done well enough. You can do the rest in the morning with the other boys on the rota. Alright?"

He managed a trembly smile, which grew stronger as he saw her smile down at him.

"Everyone needs a helping hand sometimes, Seto. Now, go on up to bed like a good boy. Sleep well."

End>

* * *

Seto turned in at the school gates, and checked his watch. Damn, he was a good quarter of an hour late! He had history first period, with Ms Kanezuka, a really spiteful woman who would see, and use,every opportunity his lateness had given her to inflict punishment on him. But first he needed to find someone to help the kitten.

Someone who he could trust to help it no matter what…a real do-gooder…As he walked towards his locker, his eyes flicked into various classrooms. He stopped suddenly. One half of class 3a (who had taken other electives)had two study periods now. Through the glass panel on the door he could see Gardener and Yugi Motou trying hard to ignore the antics of their classmates, while doing homework.

A moment later, he stepped into the classroom, and the teacher at the desk raised an eyebrow at him.

"Yes, Mr Kaiba?"

"The Nurse would like to see Miss Gardener in her office now, please."

She looked slightly disgruntled, but accepted it.

"Very well. Off you go, then, Miss Gardener. Hurry back."

Tea looked concerned and curious, but tidied her book away. "Of course."

She rose and followed him out of the room, her stupid friends watching suspiciously as he closed the door firmly behind them.

"Over here." He grunted, reluctant to sound weak, and hating that he had to owe her something.

"What is it, Kaiba? The nurse's room is the other way…?" She sounded curious, but totally trusting, in much the same way as Mokuba.

"We aren't going to the nurse's room. I need a...a favour."

**_"WHAT?"_**

He grinned slightly. She sounded so scandalized, and her cheeks were radish-like.

"Not that kind of favour, Gardener.Do you really think I would sink_that_ low? I…ah…well…here."

They had reached his locker, Tea fuming and red, and as he opened it (Tea noticed the door was slightly ajar already) he carefully pulled out a spare shirt, wrapped around…

"Oh my god!" Tea squealed quietly, her hands automatically going out to hold his shirt and the kitten, who looked a little warmer now, but still in bad condition.

"Oh, Kaiba…Where did you find it? Poor little guy…" She cradled it to her protectively, letting her body heat warm it further.

"Mokuba found it by the curb- lucky it hadn't been hit by something already. He wants to keep it, but I'm late for class already and I don't know how to help it…" He hated every word he spoke, but something in the softness of her eyes when she looked at the tiny furball had affected him in a place he usually kept on ice, and he could admit (if only to himself) that he wanted Mokuba to be happy that the kitten was better when he picked him up from school at three.

"Ok, Seto. I'll look after it for now- you go to class. Meet you at break…Umm…by the stage?"

He was surprised by her quick thinking and assertiveness (he'd had her pegged as a complete weakling), but accepted her offer with a nod, and hurried off to the rest of history.

* * *

R&R! 


	2. What little girls are made of

**Chapter Two: What Little Girls Are Made Of…**

* * *

Tea cradled the kitten gently to her, and dipped her pinkie in the milk she'd manage to snaffle from the canteen and heat in a cup with a little hot water, holding it to the kitten's mouth so it could drink. A tiny tongue tried to lap it away- with food, the baby cat was improving slowly. It had drunk only a small amount, but soon Tea would stop feeding her- too much at once would make it sick, and she couldn't afford that. Her mind raced, as she warmed the little fur ball. How had –of all people- Seto Kaiba managed to rescue an abandoned kitten? And more interestingly; why? 

She had been AWOL for about half an hour, when she heard someone come into the theatre. She wiggled back into the little nook she had found, hiding herself and the kitten in the thick piles of material that were being prepared to replace the carpet in the hall, and waited- perhaps it was Kaiba, back to check in? So when a more familiar voice called her name quietly, she jumped, and caused the kitten to squeak.

"Tea? Are you in here? What was that? Are you hurt?"

Yugi called quietly, climbing the steps onto the stage, and peeking behind the curtains into the wings.

"Yugi?" Tea called back, seeing his shadow move towards her, "yes, I'm fine. Come over here!"

She gave him room to sit in the comfortable swirl of red velvety carpet beside her, and showed him the kitten.

"Isn't it adorable, Yugi? Kaiba found her this morning, and asked me to take care of her while he went to class- she was abandoned!" Tea's eyes shone with fury and indignation. Yugi brushed his finger over the kitten and looked troubled. Yami, invisible beside him, smiled thoughtfully.

"Poor little thing- who would do such a horrible thing?" He asked sadly, as the kitty pushed its nose against his hand, searching for milk, which Tea obliged.

"I don't know. Maybe it was orphaned by accident or something…"

Yami looked skeptical as Yugi agreed.

"Can I help?" He asked, eyes on the small cat who was parent-less like himself. At least he had grandpa- the cat had no one! He subconsciously resolved to help her in any way that he could- friendship was the most important thing in the world, and this tiny kitty needed it more than most.

"Sure! I know Kaiba won't mind…much…do you want to feed her?" Tea frowned slightly, thinking of Kaiba's probable reaction, then smiled gently as Yugi carefully dipped his finger in the cup as he had seen her do.

"So, did Kaiba tell you why he saved her?" Yugi asked, watching the sleeping cat snuggled into Tea with tender eyes. It was so small…so helpless. Tea, catching the look, smiled sweetly back.

"No, he didn't- but he was late for class, and he practically ran as it was…I think, knowing Kaiba…It had to be Mokuba." Tea's astute guess left Yugi wondering again why she wasn't a more confident duelist- she had all the skills!

_Perhaps_ said Yami silently, _she truly understands that there are times when it is more important to be there for others than to take part in the action. She is always there for us, Yugi, and not only us- even Kaiba reaps the benefits of her kindness. _Yugi nodded silently back. Tea gave everything to her friends, and they, in return, tried to return her loyalty in their own ways.

"You're right. Is he coming back for her?" Yugi asked, touching his puzzle reassuringly. Tea noticed, and patted his arm.

"Yes, he is- I told him to come straight here at break. Yugi- he'll need help; someone needs to stay with her all day; she needs feeding every couple of hours, and eventually she'll need…well…a litter box, and grooming…" She blushed slightly, then, as Yugi's astounded eyes met hers, they burst into giggles at the thought of Kaiba and a kitten needing a litter-box.

* * *

Very soon, it was break time. Yugi had to go back to class, and he made excuses for Tea to the rather bored teacher. Joey and Tristan immediately bombarded him with questions about Tea and his lengthy absence ('What happened, Yug- didya fall in?' 'Real mature, Joe...'), and he whispered the whole story to them, earning himself and them even more evil stares. When the bell rang, Yugi, Joey and Tristan were the first out of the room, leaving their classmates staring after them, wondering where the fire was. In the corridor, they met Kaiba, who was also walking fast towards the auditorium. 

"Hey, Kaiba! Wait up, man!" Joey yelled, seeing Yugi falling behind as they ran to catch up with the young CEO.

"I don't have time for this. Go away."

"Gee, Kaiba, do you win many optimist awards a day?" Commented Tristan sarcastically, and slightly out of breath as he came to a stop beside them.

"Get out of my way."

"Kaiba- wait! I was worried about Tea, and I found her on the stage…We can help." Yugi finally caught up. Kaiba had paused, something moving deep behind the anger on the surface of his eyes. His 'I don't need **your** help' seemed to lack the spark of original 'Kaiba-fury' that he usually managed to cram into every look and word, so –to Kaiba's intense annoyance- they took it as a 'yes'.

"Hey, Tea! You in here?" Joey stage-whispered as they entered the auditorium. Kaiba glared at him, and Tristan grinned. Yugi led them towards the spot where Tea had last been, and parted the curtain.

* * *

There, an unusual sight met their eyes. Curled up, deep in the center of the carpet, Tea lay asleep, an innocent smile turning the corners of her lips up slightly, and a lock of hair curling on her cheek. The kitten lay high in her arms, content and warm, and a tiny purr could be heard in the thick silence. If someone had been watching the boys at that moment, they would have cried.

* * *

**_J_**oey watched Tea sleep, tenderly thinking of Serenity. Late at night, she would fall asleep on the sofa. He'd come in from work, and find her- always trying to wait up for him!- and carry her up to bed. Carefully tucking her in, he'd smile at her, caught up in the beauty of the unguarded expression on her face. Tea had to be so bold, so strong all the time, to prove to herself she could be one of the guys, and her vulnerability shone like a protective light around her while she slept.

* * *

**_Y_**ugi and Yami fused silently. _She is very beautiful_, Yami commented quietly. I know, thought back Yugi. She's my best friend. Always there for me, always strong. She has more faith in me that I do, most of the time. She gets me through every duel; squashing each hint of doubt I feel. Kaiba calls her my cheerleader. There are worse insults- she is beautiful, happy, and full of hope and support. I wonder if that's how he sees Mokuba? I don't know…I hope she's as happy as she deserves to be. Sometimes I see sadness in her eyes. But not now. She looks…at peace with the world. So very content.

* * *

**_T_**ristan stared at Tea. Since when had she grown so much? He hardly remembered the geeky girl he saw everyday, who criticized him gently then helped him find ways to get it right. She was, well, a woman now. Her arms curled protectively around the kitten, and her face reflected the maternal instincts which it awoke in her. She looked…right. Proper. The ideal; a mother caring for a child, beautiful in concept and thus in life.

* * *

**_K_**aiba's face, usually so blank, was a whirl of emotion. Concern that the cat was still alive and Gardener hadn't slept on it- Mokuba would be devastated if it died-no, it was there, warmly snuggled into her arms and neck. Anger- that such precious care and attention was given so easily, without thought or logic. Jealousy, that such valuable emotion had been withheld from Mokuba and himself. Confusion; why did Gardener sleep so easily next to the cat, and why did she look so very appealing in her vulnerable state? Why did the cautiously tender curl of her arm about the cat cause such a strange feeling in him?

* * *

Breaking the silence, and thoughts of each boy, Tea shivered a little. Parting the curtain let in a draft, and her uniform wasn't really warm enough. Perhaps she also felt the weight of their gazes, but a sleepy eye opened, and as the figures came into focus, she found herself looking deep into Kaiba's unguarded eyes. What was that- loneliness and fear?- she glimpsed, before he blinked and looked away?

"Tea, are you ok?" Joey asked warmly, as she sat up, the kitten in her arms waking with an indignant meow.

"Yeeeeah…." She yawned. "Sorry; I guess it got a little warm in here. I must have dozed off."

Yugi knelt beside her, and took the kitten almost reverently from her. It moved its paws on his jacket as he cradled it, taking it to Kaiba and giving Tea room to stand. He could feel its stomach, round and full, against his chest, warm and alive.

"It needs to go, Kaiba."

Kaiba looked at him sharply.

"Where?" He snapped, almost defensively, before adjusting his tone slightly to his usual indifferent snarl.

"To the bathroom…" Tea supplied, blushing, asTristan put his jacket around her shoulders. "Someone needs to take it outside."

A tense silence.

"Oh, for crying out loud!" Joey, surprisingly, took the kitten from Yugi, and moved over to the window, opening it awkwardly with one hand. In one moment, he was out of it, and moving away.

"He'll be back in a moment…" Tea said, still red faced, into the amused atmosphere.

Yugi and Kaiba locked eyes.

"So…mind explaining what's going on here, Kaiba?"

* * *

1 AWOL- Absent With Out Leave. 

Review, please!


	3. Insensitivity

**Chapter Three: Insensitivity**

* * *

****

"Mokuba found it while we were walking to school. I said I would take care of it today, until we got home. Gardener watched it while I was in class. Good enough for you, half pint?"

Kaiba was as abrasive as ever, reflected Tea, trying not to get angry herself- Tristan was furious enough for both of them.

"Hey! Where do you get off, rich boy! Yugi just helped you, and all you can do is call him names? Don't be a jerk! Oh wait, I forgot, you can't help it!"

Kaiba's eyes narrowed.

"I don't need anyone's help!"

Tea raised an eyebrow.

"Now, Kaiba, let's not exaggerate. You asked me for help only a couple of hours ago. Be reasonable."

"I am always reasonable, Gardener! If you recall, I only said I needed a favour. I didn't ask for your help, or tell you what the favour was."

"You're taking pedantic to a whole new level!"

"Everything I do is at a high level, Gardener!"

"Including being an arrogant creep!"

"Do not be disrespectful!"

"Right back at you!"

They stared at each other angrily, breathing hard, fists clenched. Yugi watched them warily, ready to interrupt if it got out of hand. Tristan glared at Kaiba from beside him.

"Uh…What'd I miss?"

Joey vaulted easily through the window, holding the kitten carefully against him with the other hand. He stood easily between Kaiba and Tea, and looked from one to the other a couple of times before sensing the tension.

"Nothing."

"The usual."

"Yeah- Kaiba being an ass again."

"Quiet, Taylor!"

"Make me!"

"Happily…"

As Kaiba began to move towards Tristan, and Tristan settled back into a 'come fight me' stance, Tea and Yugi ran between them, Yugi calling to Tristan to ease down, and Tea standing defensively before Kaiba, trusting in his basic (very, very basic on occasions) goodness, and the fact that he didn't seem the type to hurt a girl.

"Cool it!" Yelled Joey and the kitten raised its head into the silence that followed, letting off a plaintive meow. Time seemed to slow as everyone stared at it.

"Alright. We have something more important to think of than fighting right now." Tea breathed into the dimly lit auditorium. "She's still weak. She needs to be cleaned up, found some more milk and water, and somebody needs to keep an eye on her for the next period."

Kaiba breathed out silently through his nose. Stupid interfering cheerleader. But for once, she was right. And he wasn't the CEO of an international gaming company only because of his good looks.

"Who doesn't have class next period?"

Joey and Yugi raised a hand.

"You stay with it until I finish class for lunch. I will take care of it over lunch and the next period. Who is free after that?"

Tristan raised a hand. Kaiba looked unsure.

"Fine. But if it does not continue to improve, we will have more than words, Taylor."

Tristan just gaped at his enormous arrogance, and by the time he had thought of a retort, Kaiba had moved on.

"Then I can take over from Tristan at two thirty. I have nothing last period." Tea volunteered easily.

"I will come and collect it at half past three."

Kaiba agreed. This, he could deal with. This was organizational, this was logical. This, unlike the usual type of contact he had with the Geek Squad, made sense.

"Any problems?"

No. Everyone seemed united under his leadership. The way it should be…

"Kaiba."

Of course, the so called 'King of Games' had to put his two pence in.

"What?"

"I think you should take someone with you to the pet shop after school and possibly the vets. You will need to buy things for her."

Kaiba frowned.

"I do not need help with that. Mokuba can choose."

"It's not all about pretty baskets and collars, moneybags…She'll need certain types of food, worming tablets, flea and tick spray…" Joey ran off a list of necessities.

"Since when did you know so much about cats, Joey?" Tea asked, amused.

"Uh…Serenity told me!" Joey realized too late that he had revealed a little too much about himself.

"Sure thing, Joey…"

"Uh huh…"

"Stop yapping, geeks!"

Kaiba shut them all up with a glare, and looked at Yugi.

"Take care of it well, Yugi."

And with that, he stalked out, leaving Joey calling after him, "What am I? Chopped liver? Rich boy! Hey!"

Tea put out a hand and stroked the kitten gently. Its little nose sniffed, and it tried to climb away from Joey and into Tea's arms again.

"I think it likes you, Tea." Tristan commented, ignoring Joey.

"You think? I hope so. I think I'm gonna miss her when she goes to live with Kaiba. I wonder what Mokuba will name her?" Tea replied, blue eyes glistening with tears. It seemed such a shame that Kaiba couldn't be more sensitive- she had no doubt that when he took it home tonight, she wouldn't see the kitten again.

"Don't worry, Tea. I think this little moggy is gonna change some things…" Joey said thoughtfully.

"Yeah- did you see how quiet he was when he saw it asleep on you?" Yugi added, voice troubled.

"Don't be silly. He was probably just planning his next most insulting comments to use on us." Tea said, slightly bitterly. Tristan raised an eyebrow.

"Tea…." But whatever he had to say next was lost in the ringing of the bell.

"Come on, we'll be late to class! See you guys later!" Tea dragged Tristan out, grabbing her bag on the way, not realizing that Kaiba had not answered Yugi's question.


	4. Imprinting

**Chapter Four: Imprinting**

* * *

Seto Kaiba ignored the voice in his head. Again. He found it kicked in quite often in situations like this. Not that there were often situations like this. Only the time Mokuba 'adopted' the iguana at the zoo. Maybe, when he had forgotten to go home, and had worked 36 hours straight, sending Mokuba into a panic, and his secretary (as well as himself, he privately admitted) into an institution qualified too. The little voice chipped in again, commenting wryly that there seemed to be an awful lot more 'situations' that would qualify, which he was choosing not to remember. He shut it up with a mental slap, and went back to his notes.

Then he looked up, thoughtfully. Gardener- was she, or wasn't she coming to the pet shop and vets with them?

* * *

**Pros**: Her prescence would please Mokuba. Knows about animals. Could keep Mokuba busy while he checked out that new contract. Would deal with all the extraneous annoyances that came with the furball. Wasn't worried about dropping it on the ground (not that he was…he didn't do fluffy. Ever.)

**Cons**: Annoying cheerleader. Yugi would feel he had won something. Only person in the world who could look him coolly in the eye and make him feel naked. He'd owe her.

* * *

"Tea! Tea! Slow down, damnit!" Tristan ran after his friend towards their classroom. They bowed hurriedly to the teacher, who tutted at their almost- tardiness, and scurried to their seats at the back.

Five minutes into class, Tea's reverie was interrupted by a tiny paper aeroplane. Glancing up in surprise from her essay notes, she unfurled it quickly in her lap- it was from Tristan.

_Kaiba is such a jerk. Are you sure you'll survive going to the vets with him and the cat?_

Quickly she scribbled a note back, blushing slightly. A few seconds later, a tiny origami swan crash landed in her pencil case.

_Tea, he'll want you to go with them, for sure. Don't worry, I'm sure you can take down Mr Uber-ego all by your lonesome. If he says anything- I mean anything- out of order, you call, ok? Joey and I know where he lives…_

She stifled a smile, ripped a page off her notebook, and wrote back. It was a full ten minutes before a reply in the shape of a bear fell softly onto her paper.

_Thanks, I've been practicing- I can do a few new ones too! This one's a bit tricky, but it turned out ok. And, for the record, that was not a threat. It was a promise! We also know where he keeps his spare trench coats…We've been saving that for a truly terrible retribution evil grin. So, what do you think he'll name it? Mokuba will get to choose, I suppose. _

Tea thought about it. Kaiba. Owning a kitty cat. Weird, much? She grinned and wrote quickly back:

_At least we can be sure it won't be called Princess. _

* * *

The bell rang for the end of the day, and Tea sat with the kitten, gently running her spare comb through its fur. Yugi had managed to bathe it a little, and it was cleaning up nicely. She'd found some very mild soap and put a tiny drop in a bowl of warm water, and thanks to Yugi's detangling efforts and a bowl of extremely dirty water, the kitty was damp, but clean, and now it was drying out, seemed rather than black and white, to be ginger, with white stripes and big blue eyes, and- most amusing of all- longhaired. Mr Clinically-Clean CEO was gonna be covered in ginger cat hairs from now on.

The small cat had responded well to the TLC, and was purring loudly, no longer hungry and tired; it was becoming playful, chasing a woodlouse happily across the stage whenever she stopped brushing. Tea felt a strong connection with her (well, she thought it was a 'her'), and a desire to protect it; her maternal instincts coming into play once more. She had also found that it liked being talked to, and so had started telling it all about her life and friends.

They were interrupted from their play by a sneering voice.

"I see your social skills are improving, Gardener. Finally, you've found something to relate to."

"Hey, Kaiba. See you're as cutting as ever. Want to watch out for that, or you'll end up hurt. Shall we go?"

Tea replied coolly, looking him in the eye. _I am not afraid of you._ Seto returned the look: _Good._

The kitten had scampered over to Seto, and sure enough, he felt a tug on his shoe laces. His Armani brogues were being chewed. Great.

Tea couldn't hide a small grin. Seto's look of surprise had quickly faded through resignation to tolerance, a flash of something almost affectionate, then, as he looked up at her again, blankness.

"What are you grinning at, Gardener?" He snarled aggressively.

"Oh, nothing. Just had no idea you were such a big old softie. Let's go then, she needs to be de-wormed asap."

* * *

To which, Seto Kaiba, could only stand speechlessly. He'd been accused of many things- corruption, cruelty, lack of feeling, selfishness…But this? She was mad. Obviously. He followed her out, after taking the cat off his shoes firmly, but gently. Oh damn. Maybe she was right after all.

The moment they stepped outside, the cold hit them. It had to be freezing or below. Tea, in her uniform, shivered and clutched the kitten inside her jacket like a small hot water bottle, but pretty soon the cold had permeated the thin material. The walk to the front entrance wasn't long, but the wind was harsh, and she could tell it was threatening to snow. Suddenly a warmth was dropped on her shoulders, and she oof-ed slightly in surprise, as the smell of expensive aftershave wafted around her.

Kaiba, ignoring his missing coat, strode on ahead to the limo which was pulled up as close to them as possible. She felt a rush of warmth- he was definitely starting to thaw. She looked up at the newly-formed icicles on the school gate. _Unlike them, _she thought wryly.

Mokuba greeted them enthusiastically from inside the limo, and the heat inside the car was on full blast, making it a welcome change from the weather outside. Tea gave him the kitten, while asked him (not without a sideways glare at Gardener, daring her to comment on his parenting skills) how school had been today.

"Oh, it was great! Me and Aeran dueled at lunch, and it was a real tough duel! He was great, and he almost had me this one time with his Warrior of Light, but I had a couple of traps prepared, just in case he did what I thought he was gonna do – like you said, always stay two steps ahead!- and I got him, good! It was so fun!"

Tea grinned at his enthusiasm, and saw that while Seto was not exactly grinning, he was smiling slightly, not much more than a proud edge to his lips, but he was listening intently to his little brother, and Mokuba obviously was blossoming under the attention.

"That sounds good. Tea's going to come to the vets and help sort the cat out." Seto informed Mokuba, trying to ignore the kitten, who was, once again, chewing- this time, she was playing with the edge of his scarf (blue, 100% cashmere), and rolling herself around in it.

* * *

He told the chauffeur to take them to First Class Vets (known as FCV), a rather exclusive place, which he had called to make an appointment at over a break. Of course, for Seto Kaiba, the receptionist merely suggested that they could come whenever they liked, and she would clear them a slot. She had also informed him that she would have a load of high quality designer items couriered over from which he might like to make a selection for the new pet. He had made a mental note to tip her well- at this rate he might have time to finish the contract before tomorrow. He also made a mental note to get his coat back from Gardener before she left.

FCV's was clean, minimalist, and mostly an irritating shade of white and blue. Tea disliked it at first sight, shivering inside Kaiba's coat, but she noticed him nod approvingly. Well of course he'd like it- it was like being inside a glacier! But the receptionist was warm and helpful, and told them that a vet would be with them immediately. Sure enough, she had only glanced once at the uncomfortable looking chairs, when a quiet, calm voice greeted them from one of the doors just off the reception.

"Hello, I'm Doctor Green. You must be Mr Kaiba." He moved to shake hands firmly with Seto, who didn't bother introducing Tea, but motioned to Mokuba.

"My brother found this kitten on the road this morning; we've decided to keep it. I'll pay for anything; just sort it out as quickly as possible. Mokuba and (he looked sharply at her) the girl will accompany you, I'll wait here."

So that's why he'd brought his laptop. However, Mokuba handed the cat to his brother, and faced him down.

"Big brother! You have to come! Just stop thinking about the contract for a few minutes, while we take her to get her shots and stuff. Please? I promise I won't bug you tonight?"

Seto looked at him, fatigue hiding at the back of his eyes, where only Mokuba could seem to see it. He was often tired these days, but he hid his weakness well. He didn't want to disappoint Mokie, but if he didn't get some of it done now, he might not get the time he needed to study for tomorrow's algebra test…

To his surprise, Gardener stepped in. His brows furrowed in anger- no one got between the Kaiba brothers!- but then he heard what she was saying.

"Mokuba, I think your brother is quite tired, and he has a lot of work to do for school today. Maybe, if I go with you now, he could help you pick out a cat bed later instead?"

He was confused. Why was she helping him? And why had she called him a softie earlier? Didn't she remember who he was? The 'arrogant creep'? And, more importantly, when did she get so intelligent? Perhaps, there was more to the cheerleader than he had thought?..

"I'll come in for a few minutes."

He had surprised himself, and Mokuba and the girl. But perhaps it was more fun that way?

Ye gods. Had he really just thought that being with Gardener was fun? He must have been more tired than he had thought…..

Seto and Tea stood back, while Mokuba helped Dr Green check the kitten over. It kept trying to walk off the table towards Tea and Seto's wall (they leaned on opposite ends of the wall closest to the door, as far from each other as the could get), and meowed pathetically at them. After a couple of tries, the vet looked up at them with a raised eyebrow.

"Mr Kaiba, Miss…."

"Tea Gardener…"

"Miss Gardener…Have you heard of 'imprinting'?"

He saw their blank faces, and nodded.

"Right. Well, a very young animal, such as this kitten, when separated from it's mother at birth, often 'imprints' upon the next person, or people, it comes into contact with- in this case, as I understand it, you and Miss Gardener."

Seto was becoming impatient.

"Explain."

The vet looked uncomfortable. Mokuba looked from him, to Seto, to Tea, trying to fathom what was going on.

"It thinks you, Mr Kaiba, and Miss Gardener, are it's mother."

"What? It thinks Seto's it's Mom?"

"Yes, and Miss Gardener…It seems confused, and has adopted both as mothers. Mr Kaiba, because it felt safe with him, and that was the first time something had taken care of it, and Miss Gardener because she is female and has 'groomed' it."

Kaiba looked at Tea, his face unreadable. Tea was stunned- who would've guessed? Then he turned, and walked out of the room, shoulders tense. Tea looked at Mokuba, who was staring after his brother anxiously. Kaiba, a mommy. Someone upstairs was clearly having way, way too much fun.

* * *

Aeran- pronounced 'Airanne'


	5. Guys and Dolls

**Melting Ice: Chapter Five- 'Guys and Dolls'…**

"_It says here:  
The average unmarried female  
basically insecure  
Due to some long frustration may react  
with psychosomatic symptoms  
Difficult to endure  
affecting the upper respiratory tract…"_

"_You can spray her wherever you figure there's streptococci lurk  
You can give her a shot for whatever's she's got, but it just won't work  
If she's tired of getting the fish eye from the hotel clerk  
A person can develop a cold."_

-Guys and Dolls, Frank Loesser.

* * *

Seto sat in the waiting room at FCV, typing furiously on his laptop. He would not think about it. No. No. No. Uh- Uh. Not before this was done. Damnit, he had too much to do before he could take a moment out to freak. Which, he had to admit; he was going to have to do. 

Him? A Mother? What alternate universe had he fallen into? What the hell was happening- could one little kitten cause all this? He couldn't go there again. Not now, when he had no other option than to be strong. Kaiba Corp. was in the middle of a delicate deal- the slightest issue or breakdown on his part, and the contract would go to Schroeder Corp. and that (he allowed himself a grim smile, which made the receptionist pale slightly, and pity whoever was on his mind) was NEVER going to happen. Over his dead body, maybe.

He took a couple of deep, cleansing breaths. He had to get this contract done. Once it was sorted out, he could go back to being cool, calm and collected 24/7. Gardener – his eyes narrowed- was getting too familiar. She probably thought this made him her friend or something. Well, (his eyes paled to ice blue), she had something new to learn. He didn't do friends. Not with the Dork Squad, anyway. Let her learn that lesson later. Right now, he had to focus.

The Receptionist edged her chair round to the other end of her desk, and hid behind the files, in an effort to avert whatever wrathful storm was surely going to break any moment. Mr Kaiba looked- to put it bluntly- like Vesuvius in AD 79. Not good. She typed a little email to Dr Green (it would flash up on his monitor) telling him to hurry it up. Risking another peek, she saw Mr Kaiba's eyes narrow. She emailed Dr Green again.

* * *

Mokuba looked at Tea, who had a reassuring hand on his shoulder, the other casually next to the kitten, who was quite happy to let Dr Green touch it as long as he didn't try to move it away from her hand, which was at present being nosed and smelt thoroughly. 

"I'm sure Kaiba's ok, Mokuba. Don't worry." She said, squeezing his shoulder. His eyes were so wide, she had to suppress the urge to hug him- dignity, at twelve, was a sensitive issue, she recalled.

"No, he's not. This deal really means a lot to him, and to the company, and he's tired out, Tea. He doesn't ever have time to relax. Plus…Mothers are kind of a sore spot for him. He…I…We miss our mom lot, Tea…" Mokuba's eyes were tearing slightly, but he gruffly pulled a hand over them. They both ignored Dr Green, who was gently checking the kitten for fleas and injuries. The kitten rubbed against Mokuba's hand in its pursuit of affection, and he smiled weakly at it, rubbing its ears.

"Its okay, Mokuba. Really. He'll be fine. After all, I'm here to help out, now, so maybe Kaiba can chill out a bit more? He's probably just feeling the pressure today- I heard the math teacher was feeling bad today so she gave out double homework for a test tomorrow. Just try and help him out, and he'll be okay as soon as the deal is done. Right?" Tea soothed, rubbing his shoulder.

"Thanks, Tea. You're right." Mokuba smiled through suspiciously dewy eyes.

"I know. I'm always right." Tea replied, grinning cheerfully, drawing a surprised laugh from Mokuba. It was awfully hard to remember he was just twelve; sometimes he seemed a lot older.

"The good news is that she's absolutely fine, no injuries, just malnutrition and a slight case of worms and fleas- about average, and rather lucky, actually- for a kitten her age. So, all you have to do, is take her home, feed her the supplements that I'll give you, take good care of her, and bring her in for her shots in a couple of weeks. You should see a rather dramatic transformation- she's a nice little thing, really. Good nature. Probably has some pedigree in her lineage."

Dr Green proclaimed, having given her a vitamin shot. He'd written a list of the things that were necessary, and suggested a few books about cat and kitten care they might like to buy from the reception area. Tea and Mokuba thanked him, and, with the kitten cradled safely in Mokuba's arms, and Tea's arm around Mokuba's shoulders, Dr Green led them back out to the reception area.

"Seto, we're almost done." Mokuba said hesitantly, afraid to interrupt his brother at an important moment. Kaiba looked up, and Mokuba saw, with a sigh of resignation, that he had gone into what he privately called 'icicle mode'. His eyes seemed to chill even more as he took in Tea's proximity to his younger brother. Tea, seeing this, tiredly squeezed his shoulders, and let go, walking towards reception, suppressing a sneeze as she went, leaving the Kaiba brothers together.

"Can we see the things you had brought over, please? Mr. Kaiba doesn't have much time, and we'd like to take a look before we go." Tea asked quietly- her throat was a little sore. The receptionist nodded, relieved that someone was here to help deal with the scary looking Mr Kaiba.

"Of course, they're right in here. Did Dr Green give you a list? Excellent. I'll bring them right out." The receptionist replied warmly.

"Thank you."

Tea looked at the list. It was fairly decent; most of the things were necessary- a traveling basket, kitten food, supplements, worming tablets, a brush, a bed… He had tried to put a 'cat rug' on the list; well, that wasn't necessary, it would be expensive, and no better than a normal baby blanket or pillow case. If it had a bed, it wouldn't want one any way. And a 'cat towel'? It wasn't going to be swimming every day! Hmmm… She looked at Mokuba who stood by her, and glanced over at his brother, before looking back at him. Mokuba shook his head, sadly.

* * *

Kaiba had finished laying out the contract. Now all there was left was to refine the wording and check the details, and then he could fax it over to the legal director. It meant that he would have enough time this evening to do his algebra, and relax a little. Finally. Mokuba was worrying about him again, he knew, and he owed him some fraternal fun time. He shut down the computer, and went over to Mokuba and Gardener, who were looking at cat stuff. 

They had picked out a rich blue cat bed, like a little cushioned cave, which would be warm and secure for her, and a white wired traveling cage, which came with a light blue cushion and cover. He was beginning to sense a theme. Feeling warmer, and less stressed, Seto held up a green collar, he knew Mokuba would like it.

"How about this one?"

They turned to him in bemused welcome, and he felt strangely comforted. An unfamiliar warmth seemed to be leaking out from somewhere in the region of the left side of his chest. It felt strange….but good.

"Can Tea come and help us settle her in? We have to choose a name, too! Please, big brother? Please?"

Mokuba shamelessly begged, while Tea looked away, embarrassed. She had already managed to invade his life (she mentally rephrased that- it had been him that had asked!) enough; he was going to reject her presence at their home, she was sure. But Kaiba merely glanced at her with another unreadable expression, and nodded.

"Don't ask me, ask Gardener. I'm sure she has many, many better things to do with her time…" He sneered, but it lacked its usual venom. He must be tired, she thought. Come to think of it, so was she! She was pretty sure she felt a headache coming on. But those puppy eyes. She couldn't make them sad. Plus, she had said she would try to help out, hadn't she?

"Sure, Mokuba, if I can get a ride home later?" She agreed, smiling at him. He grinned back, and waved a hand languidly.

"Eh, we'll get a driver to take you home later. Thanks, Tea!"

* * *

They drew up outside a huge pair of wrought iron gates (the pattern in the gates was shaped like a Blue-Eyes, typically) about half an hour later. Tea, eager for her first proper look at the Kaiba Mansion, gazed out of the window interestedly as slowly but smoothly, the black gates were electronically opened, and a guard waved them through, saluting them as they passed him. The Mansion was on the outskirts of town, in its own estate, and as they drove past ornately cut gardens, smooth croquet lawns and, amusingly, a large moat with its own gate and bridge, Tea noticed how the deep gray sky cast a sort of mystical duskiness when mixed with the in-road lighting which subtly illuminated their way. 

"Hey, it's quite dark for only five o'clock!" Commented Mokuba, petting the kitten, who was nestled in Seto's (unwillingly donated) scarf. Kaiba grunted in reply, but Tea was too distracted by the view she had just been presented with as the large car turned into the huge circle that was loosely known as 'the driveway'. To anyone else, it might have been known as 'the entire garden'.

The Kaiba Mansion was a 1900's building, modernized by fresh white paint, and grayish blue slate on the roof. With older design features, such as the porch they were drawing up to, and the large downstairs windows contrasting with double glazing and several satellite dishes, it was a curious suggestion of an electronics genius' fairytale mansion. This was, Tea reminded herself, exactly what it was.

However, it still instilled a sense of affectionate wonder in her as she was handed out from the limo, under the protection of the porch, and ushered quickly in from the blistering cold. She shivered slightly, and regretted giving Kaiba his coat back. Inside, it was all marble floors, and deep carpets, a large staircase rose from the center of the hall up to the next three levels, branching out as it did so, carpeted in tasteful yet imposing red.

They removed their shoes, and Kaiba and Mokuba put on well-worn, comfortable slippers (Kaiba's, she was disappointed to discover, were not, in fact, bunny slippers, but plain black, 'sensible' ones, while Mokuba's were purple and shaped like dragon's feet). She was handed a pair of brand-new looking, correctly sized, white ones, which she put on quickly, and followed Mokuba and Kaiba through a doorway which seemed to lead into the kitchen, the butler and two maids following with the luggage.

* * *

"How about….Donna?" 

"What?"

"Mokuba. No."

"Or…maybe….Josie?"

"Mmm…"

"No."

"How about…Crusher?"

"It's a girl…"

"No."

"Ok….Ginger?"

"Too spice world…"

"No."

"Fine!" Mokuba yelled, sulking. "You suggest some then!"

Tea and his brother had been shooting down his suggestions all afternoon. It was now evening, and the kitten was asleep in her new bed in front of them. They were sat in the kitchen (which had under-floor heating) and the bed had been placed in a particularly warm spot. The litter tray had been surreptitiously placed in a corner near enough for the kitten to see it – and hopefully, use it…- and her food was in a little bowl on the floor. All of her things were blue or green (except for a yellow reflective collar for her when she was older). She slept, unaware of the battle overhead. Tea thought for a moment.

"Fine. How about…Moet?"

"Hmm…."

"No."

"Ok, what about…Leila?"

"No."

"No."

"Umm…Kaiba- you think of some."

"Cat."

"No!"

"Don't be silly, big brother!"

"Moggy?"

"Kaiba…"

"No…"

"I know! I know!" Tea bounced excitedly. Kaiba went into denial- he had just caught himself preparing to admire her graceful form- and put it down to exhaustion and frustration.

"What is it?" He growled.

"Ariadne!" Tea grinned. Mokuba paused to think about it.

"I like it…" He said, trying it out. "Ariadne…"

Kaiba looked at Gardener. He had read all about Theseus and Ariadne. Was this a hint? A surreptitious message?

"Do you know the myth, Gardener?" He asked, curiously.

"Yes…Theseus and his men go to slay the minotaur, and Ariadne, the princess of the city, and sister to the minotaur, helps him kill her monstrous brother…well, because she loves him at first sight, and she thinks her brother will be happier dead…and she wants to save Theseus' life. In repayment, he is supposed to take her back to his city with him as his wife, as she will be a traitor to her city if she helps him, so she can't stay there…But on the way…"

Tea's voice softened slightly, and Mokuba and Kaiba watched her, spellbound, as she seemed to look upon far away events.

"On the way back home, Theseus and his men stop at an island to rest. While they celebrate and danceoutside, Ariadne happily goes to sleep in her husband's tent, but while she sleeps, Theseus and his men steal away and sail back to their home, completely abandoning her to her harsh fate. She wakes up, cold andlonely, and calls out for her treacherous husband, or anyonetohelp, and Bacchus, the Greek god of wine hears, and kidnaps her away against her will to be one of his slave girls…"

Tea looked sad for a moment. Then she brightened.

"This way, Ariadne can finally get her happy ending."

Mokuba nodded wordlessly. Kaiba looked up, and looked straight into her eyes.

"It's perfect."


	6. Iris Part I

**Chapter Six, Part I- Iris.**

* * *

A brief apology to Ambience dream, for not running this by her. My excuse? All the skiing got in the way... Part II will be up soon!

* * *

_"I don't want the world to see me,_

_cos I don't think that they'd understand._

_When everything's made to be broken,_

_I just want you to know who I am..."_

_**Iris, by The Goo Goo Dolls.**_

_**--------------------------------**_

_It was a mistake, _thought Tea sadly, _staying so long._

She had lost track of the time, playing with Mokuba and Ariadne (now known as 'Ari'), and now, as she and Mokuba looked out of the large bay window, she felt glad she had called her mother earlier, to let her know she was at a friends. They had been so absorbed in playing with a couple of shoelaces (Tea suspected they were, in fact, Kaiba's, and that he didn't know they were being 'borrowed'), that when the internal phone had rung, Ariadne had run into her bed in fright, and Tea had squeaked loudly. It was the elder Kaiba, ringing down from his study.

"Mokuba. Go and open the curtains in the main lounge."

So, dutifully obeying orders, Tea and Mokuba had gone through to the 'main lounge' (Tea realized quickly that it should have been called 'the red lounge', compared to the other three, which were blue, green and neutral respectively) and opened the curtains to find...

White.

The snow must have been four feet high and still growing. It covered the first three inches of glass, and was still mounting up steadily. It was a blizzard outside, flakes whirling and flurrying down from heavy clouds. Tea's first thought was 'how could we not have realised it was snowing?' and her second thought was 'how on earth am I going to get home?'

Unless the Kaiba's had a helicopter...

This was, on second examination, a distinct possibility. She turned from the window, went back into the kitchen, and picked up the phone.

"You _don't_ have a helicopter, do you, Kaiba?" She asked tiredly. She heard a strange noise, possibly that of Kaiba snorting at her daft question, before his sarcastic voice brushedsmoothly down the phone line back at her.

"Not one that I can waste on you, Gardener. You will have to be our guest until it is possible to get you off my property. I have work to do now. Dinner is in twenty minutes. Don't be late."

The phone clicked. He had hung up. Tea automatically opened her mouth to say goodbye. She put the phone down, and looked at it oddly. Suddenly, her expression darkened.

"He hung up on me!"

Mokuba came into the kitchen, attracted by the sound of her voice, to see her shaking a finger at the phone, and sending it a serious death-stare.

"Uh...Tea? I think you're scaring Ari..."

He picked up the kitten (who had been undisturbed by the phone-hating, despite Mokuba's protective attitude), and raised an eyebrow at her. It was such a **Seto** Kaiba type look, that Tea was, for a moment, thoughtful.

"Its okay, Mokuba. I was just...a little...frustrated..."

Mokuba nodded understandingly.

"Yeah. Big Brother often has that effect on people. Are you staying? Goodie! Now, I guess you'll need a room and some pajama's..."

While Mokuba rushed around, calling to the maids and Roland, and generally causing more chaos than order, Tea followed him with her eyes. The more time she spent with Kaiba's little brother, the more she realized how exceptional a kid he was. Who else could have coped with living in the shadow of, andwithin the same mansion as the CEO of Kaiba Corp? The rather bad tempered CEO of Kaiba Corp. The bad tempered, arrogant, selfish CEO of Kaiba Corp. The extremely rude, bad tempered, arrogant, selfish, evil genius type CEO of Kaiba Corp? Tea mentally smacked herself for thinking badly of her host, and for grinning inanely while doing so. She wondered briefly if Mokuba was allowed to have friends over? Friends that hadn't been police checked and character approved previously, she amended hastily. He wasn't a monster, for crying out loud! Just…a little overprotective. And who could blame him? After all the times his love of dueling had put his only family at risk…Yugi. She hadn't called him! Oops…

"Kame Game Shop, Yugi speaking, how may I help you?"

"Hi, Yugi! It's me. How's it going? Did you see the snow?"

"Oh, hey, Tea! It's awesome, isn't it? Grandpa and I were out clearing it for an hour or so, but it didn't seem to be helping much! How're you doing? Did you have fun at the pet shop with Kaiba?"

Only Yugi, Tea thought, could sound so innocent saying those words.

"Um…It was ok. We went to the vets, and had Ariadne checked over. She's ok now. I'm kind of still at Kaiba's- I got snowed in…She's so cute! We bought her a bed and everything. She's going to be one spoiled kitty, let me tell you…"

Tea was blushing frantically, clutching her mobile in a damp hand, hating the way she was even worse than Yugi at prevaricating. Yami replied, sounding anxious.

"Are you alright, Tea? He's treating you well? You aren't being…held prisoner?"

She sighed inwardly; sure she was starting to blush. Why couldn't he be more…Protective….in a general sense? Pharaohs sure didn't have a clue what the modern girl needed in her man. Why did he have to make her feel as if she was always getting herself in over her head, and that he was the only one who could pull her out? She was an independent (well, nearly) woman (almost...) who didn't need a man (never mind two) to take care of her! She squashed these feelings, and set about reassuring him.

"I'm fine, really. Kaiba's being…polite…mostly, and Mokuba and I are having lots of fun! I'm going to stay over tonight and 'get off his property' as soon as he can get me…"

She heard Yami chuckle at her Kaiba impression, and ask,

"When did you develop an interest in Greek Mythology, Tea? Why choose Theseus and Ariadne?"

Uh oh. Dangerous topic…Careful, Tea…This could be tricky…

"Um, well, after we found out you were from ancient Egypt…I did some research, to see if there was anything we could do to help you out…The stories really interested me, and then, I read about Greece, and some stuff about the Romans…But there wasn't much that could help, so I didn't want to mention it."

Tea babbled slightly, trying not to put her foot in her mouth at any stage. There were so many ways this conversation could go wrong… She had spent days in that library, and quite enjoyed herself…

"Thank you, Tea. I really appreciate it. If you are interested in stories, I can remember a few. I don't mind telling you some time, if you like."

She smiled. From Yami, that was practically a glomp. She glanced at her watch. She hadn't got too long until dinner…Plus, Kaiba had expressly told her not to be late. She didn't want to push her luck- perhaps this was her chance to finally get Kaiba to realize that he too could have friends.

"That would be really nice, Yami, if you don't mind. I'd better go; I have to be at dinner soon, and I have no idea what I'm going to wear. I'll see you guys at school tomorrow?"

Yami (although she couldn't see him) raised an eyebrow. What had got Tea so rattled? She wasn't usually this scatty…

"I'm pretty sure school will be canceled tomorrow, Tea. I'll call you tomorrow?"

Tea was sure he knew something was up. Why she should feel so strange about staying at Kaiba's overnight, she had no idea, but Yugi knew her moods before she did. Sometimes, having a best friend who knew you so well, was exceedingly irritating.

"Oh, right! Sure. Talk to you tomorrow! Bye!"

"Bye, Tea. Take care."

As she hung up, a maid stepped quietly into the room. She was only a little older than Tea, and her hair was pulled tightly back to reveal a pretty face, with high cheek-bones and long eyelashes.

"Good Evening, Miss Gardener. Master Mokuba has requested that I show you to your room, and help you prepare for dinner."

"Oh! Thank you! It's just Tea, though, please…I'm not, uh, really used to all this…"

Tea waved a couple of embarrassed hands in the air to illustrate her point. The maid cracked a small, but friendly smile.

"Very well, Miss Tea. My name is Jennifer; please do call me if you require anything during your stay. Shall I take you up? We only have five minutes before dinner…"

Tea and her new friend hurried through to the hall, and up the massive staircase to her new room. They practically ran down a couple of corridors, Jennifer murmuring briefly 'guestroom to your left…' and 'pink bathroom through there…' as they moved. Finally, they turned into a small wing, at the beginning of a wider corridor, with a thick cream carpet. They passed a large oak door, with a large but subtle 'M' carved into the wood (Tea noted the tiny duel monsters climbing the frame, carved by a master craftsman), and on to another oak door, with no letter engraved.

"This is where master Mokuba suggested you should be placed. Do you like it?"

Jennifer had opened the door, and allowed Tea to move into the room.

It was painted a sunny yellow, with cream sills and curtains, but managed not to be flowery or too Walton's-y, by virtue of the shades of colour chosen, and the darker furniture. A large bed stood to her left, with white sheets and a dark headboard, and a small vase of fake scented flowers stood on her dressing table. She felt instantly comfortable, and realized that she did, in fact, feel safe in the Kaiba mansion. Never mind the grouchy man who owned it, there was a sense of stability and protection, which could only come from a Home, rather than a mere mansion.

"Do I like it? I love it!" Tea enthused, grinning at the other girl, and touching the flowers gently.

"It's perfect, thank you, Jennifer!" She breathed, and as the maid turned to the door, a question nudged at her brain.

"Oh! Do you know where my back pack went? I last saw it in the hall, with Roland…" She asked sheepishly. She usually kept better track of her things than that!

Jennifer smiled.

"Of course. Mr Roland gave it to me, and I left it by the armoire. Just there? There are some pajamas in the wardrobe, and toiletries in the bathroom."

Tea looked at the door to her right, which seemed to have an en-suite hidden behind it. She reached for her backpack, and was surprised to find her fingers missed. Perhaps she was rather tired, and a little warm. Some food would probably help. Aspirin, too. She could feel that headache coming on again, too.

Jennifer disappeared, on a quest for aspirin and water, while Tea washed her face and hands, and put on some lip gloss and eyeliner. It wasn't much, but it at least looked like she'd made an effort. She shivered suddenly, and realized that she was quite cold- maybe there was a draft? Looking in the chest of drawers, she found a soft jumper, and slipped it on. It was a man's, and too big for her, but she adjusted the blue wool around her hips, and found that with her school skirt, it made for a preppy look that worked well with the make-up.

Jennifer reappeared with the aspirin and water, and, while Tea drank up, brushed her down with a clothes brush, moved her hair around, and finally stood back.

"I think that you look just fine, Miss Tea. If there's nothing else you need, I'll go now. Master Mokuba will come and get you when the gong is rung. Good luck!"

Tea waved weakly. Good luck? That didn't sound promising…

Someone knocked a few moments later, and Tea jumped off the bed, straightening her skirt, before calling them in.

"Hey Tea!"

Mokuba, clearly far too excited still, bounced in, firing questions left, right and centre, like ping pong balls.

"Do you like your room? Are you hungry? Do you need anything? I hope you like tuna? Aren't the maids nice? How about the flowers? I chose them myself! Can we play a game later?"

Tea, feeling a little overpowered, didn't manage to warn Mokuba about the rug until too late…

"OOf!"

Speaking fast, and paying little attention to where he was going, Mokuba tripped over the edge of the rug, and fell, puppy style, flat on his back.

Wide eyes stared up at Tea, questioningly…Then, as he realized what he had done, Mokuba started shaking with laughter. Tea found giggles erupting madly, and her eyes began to tear up, as she sank to the floor, knees weak with laughter. Soon, they were both in hysterics, rolling around like crazy people, laughter echoing loudly through the open door, washing away the tension of the day.

* * *

Seto, unobserved, watched from the doorway. Attracted by the noise, he had come running towards the unfamiliar sounds, to find Mokuba and Gardener behaving like lunatics. His mouth set in a small frown, but his eyes sparkled with restrained mirth and relief thateveryone was safe. Leaving them to their idiocy, he walked silently downstairs, thinking. Again, it was 'Ms Peppy-Friendship-Dictator' who occupied his rather complicated thoughts.

"This," he murmured harshly to himself (freaking a passing maid out completely) "will stop. Now!"


	7. Iris Part II

**Melting Ice- Chapter 7: Iris II**

"_You can't fight the tears that ain't coming._

_Or the moment of truth in your lies._

_When everything seems like the movies,_

_You bleed just to know you're alive…"_

_Iris, by 'The Goo Goo Dolls'._

* * *

Tea and Mokuba, when calm, had hurried downstairs –anxious not to keep Kaiba waiting. When they arrived in the dining room, it was dark and empty. Mokuba paused, and Tea looked at him for guidance.

"I guess we're going to be informal tonight…Yay! I hate pretending to be so boring and stuck up when its only friends…It gives off the wrong impression…"

He looked sideways at Tea, who grinned sheepishly, remembering the many times they'd called Kaiba rich and stuck up. They hadn't actually made room for him in their gang, just expected him to fit in with their ways. And Seto Kaiba **never **'just fit in'.

Since their little hysterical fit, Tea and Mokuba felt a sort of easy going 'camaraderie', which was really relaxing for them both. Plus, Tea's aspirin was kicking in, and thus, she felt slightly as if she was wrapped in cotton wool as they walked to the kitchen.

Ariadne was playing with Kaiba's slipper under the table, Tea noted, as they walked in. This meant that she missed Kaiba's sharp assessment of her 'outfit', and raised eyebrow to Mokuba, who shrugged, grinning. By the time she had looked up, there was only a blank smile on both faces, waiting, she realized, for her to sit first. Yikes! She hoped her table manners were up to scratch. Kaiba, supremely bored, waited for her to get comfortable before pouring them both water (and Mokuba milk) from glass pitchers on the table. Then, with a glance at Tea, he meaningfully lifted the cover off one of the serving dishes before him.

"It's gonna be a snow day tomorrow, Seto! Don't you think so?" Mokuba began excitedly. Tea sneakily looked at Kaiba, and followed his lead, helping herself to noodles, vegetables and tuna steak, and pouring some warm, spicy looking sauce over her noodles.

"I think so, Mokuba. Gardener may have to remain our guest until the weather turns. It looks as if it will snow all night." Kaiba spoke blandly, eyes sharp, prepared to catch the slightest hint of insult in her reaction. Tea looked up, anxiously. "I am sorry if my presence causes any difficulty…"

"Nonsense. The one thing we have more than plenty of here, is space."

They fell silent for a moment, as Kaiba mentally re-assessed his harsh tone. Mokuba, clearly used to re-directing the conversation after such moments, asked Tea if she'd like to see the games room after dinner.

"That would be nice, Mokuba. Do you spend a lot of time in there?" She responded, smiling at a practically rhetorical question. Kaiba controlled an urge to grin.

"Are you kidding? He practically lives there…" He spoke without thought, and Tea started at the warmth in his tone. She stopped toying thoughtfully with her fork, and looked over at a blushing Mokuba.

"I bet. What's your favourite game, Mokuba?"

The conversation proceeded easily, sliding gently over thin ice at times, then, as they regained their footing, moving on. As they came to a pause just before dessert, Tea turned to Kaiba, who had become a degree or two less frosty (although there were indications that if this show of trust was even hinted at being maligned, it would freeze over quicker than you could say 'icy tundra').

"So, Kaiba…What do you think of Ariadne? Gonna invent a card and name it after her?" She inquired easily.

"Yeah, maybe it could be named 'Fire Cat' or something?" Mokuba added enthusiastically. A vein twitched in Kaiba's forehead. He raised a heavily sarcasm loaded eyebrow, and looked directly at Tea.

"Or Princess Flower Kitty?"

It was so incredibly out of character for Kaiba to be so frivolous, that Tea snorted with laughter through a mouthful of noodles. Mokuba was giggling, and had splurted(ii) milk out of his nose, earning himself a frown from Kaiba. Trying hard to (a) not spit anything out (b) keep breathing, Tea made a mental note to herself. 'Amusing' Kaiba was way more fun to be around than Kaiba of the witty/sarcastic quip-dom…And somehow, her treacherous brain added, more attractive…

Mokuba had calmed down, and was looking at him curiously. It really irritated Seto for a moment, and he had to bite back a rather extremely nasty comment, which he would never have wanted to say to his little brother. Was his telling a joke that out of character?

"Yeah, Kaiba, I can really see that replacing Blue-Eyes as your favourite card…" Tea giggled, after finally dealing with that pesky mouthful, unaware of the looming tension. The Kaiba brothers, momentarily having forgotten her presence, blinked, and gave up on the staring competition. A moments silence was broken by Kaiba.

"Do you like your room?" He enquired, diplomatically. (Diplomacy, in the 'Book of all things Seto', meant bluntly sticking to polite conversation like superglue to glass and refusing to budge). Tea's smile faltered at the return to formality, but she gamely replaced it with a brighter one.

"It's beautiful, thank you, Kaiba-kun. Did you decorate the mansion yourself?" Tea tentatively enquired.

"Do I look like the kind of man who does Interior Design?" Kaiba snarled back. Tea made a mental note- do not mention interior design. It seemed she had struck a nerve. The best she could manage for a minute was a weak 'No. Um. Ok.'

"But he did design our rooms!" Mokuba chipped in, trying to break the ice. Unfortunately, by the look on his brother's face, he had (metaphorically, of course...)just thrown a bucket of water over the conversation,at a time whenit was -15 degrees centigrade. Once again, the conversation was frozen. Tea, recognizing this silence for the agonizedinward squeal of the male ego, smiled gently.

"So you do a little, but only very guy-like, macho stuff. Ok, that's cool."

Well accustomed to the reactions of her male friends, and comfortable dealing with them in her own way, Tea had forgotten one important thing. Seto Kaiba was a whole different species of male. She had also forgotten that this passive reaction almost always pushed his 'restrained irritation' button. Hard.

"The designers were incompetent fools! Especially when it came to following precise instruction. So, as usual, to get the best result, I had to do it myself." Kaiba grunted. Tea, glad the reaction wasn't more severe, hurried to pour warm water over the issue.

"I'm sure they're beautiful, Kaiba-kun. You have excellent taste."

However, her soothing tone, seemed to have the most unhelpful effect possible. Kaiba gave her a piercing look, which made her want to cross her arms over her chest, reached down to remove Ariadne from his foot, and, taking his plate with him, vanished into the kitchen.

Tea, completely dismayed, looked after him, and then at Mokuba for guidance. He shrugged, and looked a little embarrassed.

"Was it something I said…? I'm sorry.." Tea asked, half-joking, all in seriousness. Mokuba put down his fork, had a sip of milk, and looked directly at Tea. It was so reminiscent of his brothers gaze, that Tea almost dropped her gaze. Instead, she was transfixed by the adult look in his childish eyes.

"No, Tea. Big brother often leaves when he doesn't know how to react to a situation. I think he got too comfortable watching us banter, and when he realized you were inviting him to join in, he didn't know how. So, instead of making a mistake, or looking dumb, he left."

Mokuba's logic was flawless, and Tea suddenly clicked onto where Mokuba's portion of the Kaiba family genius had taken form. She tried to hide her surprise, and made a conscious decision never to treat Mokuba like a child again.

"Mokuba…You're so amazing, y'know? Seto's really lucky to have you as a brother."

Tea's eyes softened as Mokuba blushed. She couldn't imagine how hard it must be for him to be the only one cutting Seto a little slack; including Seto himself. She couldn't see Kaiba ever taking it easy on himself, and others. The interesting question being, did Mokuba give himself (albeit more subtly) the same standards? And if so, who cut him some slack?

* * *

i) 'icy tundra'- Mighty Boosh watchers out there, rejoice! 

ii) 'splurted' a mix between splashed and spurted….spread the new vocab, people!


	8. Machiavellian Plots& Intolerable Cruelty

**Chapter Eight: _Machiavellian Plotting and Intolerable Cruelty._**

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"It is better to be feared than loved, if you cannot be both."  
- Niccolo Machiavelli (1469-1527), _The Prince_

_

* * *

_

* * *

Seto sat in his office, mind intent on the state of Kaiba Corp's profit margins. They were good, true, but fell short of his expectations. Something was needed to raise them before April's new financial year, and the next model of duel disks were nowhere near completion. Perhaps some sort of Publicity stunt? Expensive, but possible. A new competition? Not quite enough time to set up an International level tournament, but perhaps a new battle, aimed at the acquisition of a new title? 'Four-Star Card-Master' or something along those lines, challenging people to learn how to win using brains instead of force..? 

He glanced at the clock, and, as always, before going to bed, checked his inbox for any urgent requests. There was nothing that couldn't be dealt with first thing tomorrow. Then, a small light-bulb clicked on in the darkness of Seto's subconscious, and he looked at the clock again. 1. 30 Am. Not the latest he had stayed up, but Mokuba usually came to say goodnight before he headed to bed, and he hardly ever stayed up past midnight. Why hadn't he come in tonight? Had the excitement of a guest (and a female one, at that) been so great that Mokuba had forgotten him? The thought hurt more than he'd like to acknowledge.

Sighing inwardly, and with a regretful look at the book he usually treated himself to a few pages of before sleep, he switched off the lamp, and set the computer to its 'safety' mode. The lights were dimmed around the mansion, but brightened as he walked, to allow him to watch his footing. There was noise coming from the small living room, and a lamp near the door gave off extra light. Seto pushed the door fully open, and looked in.

Tea Gardener was curled up in the armchair opposite the sofa, fast asleep, with a rather vacant smile teasing at the corner of her mouth. Mokuba was sprawled across the large leather sofa, covered by his jumper, which Tea had worn earlier, snoring slightly. The jumper had looked good on her, he had to admit, but then, cashmere looked good on most people, right? He wanted the jumper back. It was…a favourite. On the other hand, every time he wore it, he would be reminded of the looks on their faces. Huh. As if he never made jokes! He was always laughing at other people's expense…The other day; he had laughed his head off at the former Financial Officer for Egypt. He should have known better than to call, begging for his job back. Who cared if he had debts? It wasn't his problem. Fool.

But why was his sweater on Mokuba? Why had Gardener covered him up? Obviously, she didn't want him to be cold, but why? They weren't related, or anything. She had lots of friends; didn't need any more…He suppressed a shudder at the thought of his little brother being corrupted by Yugi and the Geek Squad, then tried not to smirk at the vindictiveness of the thought.

Did Gardener care for Mokuba? Obviously. More importantly, why did Mokuba seem to care for her? He had been noticeably perky during dinner, and the two had been watching… (He checked the DVD case by his brother's feet) 'The Italian Job' together. It didn't seem like a 'distant acquaintance' kind of film to pick. But hell, what did he know? Perhaps he should join in the brief 'friends' act, in case Mokuba got in too deep, and needed him? He definitely couldn't leave her here.

He crossed the room in two swift strides, noted Gardener was shivering, and removed his own sweater. That was two she owed him now, stupid girl. He threw it lightly over her, just to stop the annoying chatter of her teeth, and went to collect Mokuba. He carried the mostly asleep boy up to his room, moved his shoes, and tucked him in, placing a brotherly hand on his shoulder, and causing Mokuba to smile in his sleep. As he went back downstairs, he wondered if Gardeners stupidity would cause her to catch a cold. The window in that room had a slight draft, and the door had been ajar, allowing any heat to escape into the empty house. She hadn't known about the blankets folded up behind the DVD shelves. Idiot girl, to fall asleep with nothing to cover her- he was NOT going to be responsible for her health…Seto sighed. The Geek Squad would never leave him alone if he abandoned her when she was ill. On the other hand, he didn't want them to take any assistance on his part as some sort of peace offering.

He had known it was a bad idea to get involved with women. Devious, manipulative little creatures. They had men acting like robotic zombies with a crook of a finger; the slide sideways of a made-up eye, the baring of a little skin. He wasn't sure who deserved the more contempt; women for using such unsubtle lures, or men for falling for them! The day he fell for such a transparent power bid, was the day Kaiba Corp was doomed, and he would admit the possibility that his need to beat Motou was, in fact, bordering psychotic compulsion. (1)

* * *

In the kitchen, he gathered a few things, patted Ariadne on the head (who yawned, stretched, fell off her blanket, and mewed in protest as he caught her before she hit the hard tiled floor;- as if he hadn't been helping her!), and went to propel Gardener to her room. Not a chance he was carrying her. He stifled an amusing thought (vaguely involving Gardener waking up, discovering he was carrying her, shouting at him to put her down, effectively allowing him to drop her like a rock), put it aside, and poked her gently in the side. 

"Gardener."

"Mmmmmmmmmnnnnnnnnooo…"

Seto suppressed a curse of annoyance. Did she think he had all night?

"Gardener. If you don't wake up right now, I'll kill the mutt."

"'kay…."

He raised an eyebrow. He wouldn't forget he had her permission for a little mutt-torture…

"Gardener!"

Poke. Poke. He thought for a moment.

"Tea!"

Nothing. No wonder she slept through the noise of the DVD. This called for a cunning plan…

He calmly walked around to the back of the chair, bent down, and picked up the back legs.

"Gardener. I'm warning you…Wake up! Now!"

Nada. Zilch.So he tipped.

Tea fell heavily onto the thick carpet with a surprised 'Oof!' Seto put the chair down quickly, and moved away, in case of wrath-evasion.

"Wha…? Oh, hey Kaiba. What's up?"

How the hell could she be so cheerful at this time of night, when he had awoken her in such a manner? He himself would have arranged for an 'acquaintance' to take **anyone** who **dared** wake him in such a manner, on a short detour down a nice, dark, quiet alley late at night. Hehheh...Well maybe not. But it would have been a first thought, followed by a particularly excellent death stare, and their speedy exit…

"You fell asleep downstairs. It is time for you to go to bed."

She yawned, and sleepily followed him upstairs. He walked her to her room, placed the objects on the table just within her door, pushed her inside, turned off the light, and shut the door.

A few seconds were all he needed.

"Hey! Kaiba….I can't see!"

He smirked, hearing a crash as she tripped over something,and cursed imaginatively,and walked away, the lights fading behind him along the corridor.

* * *

The next morning, Kaiba was first up. The snow was still high, and there were no signs of a thaw. Dressed all in black, with his warmest turtleneck on, he padded around the kitchen, reading a news report (which he had faxed to him every day at 5am), drinking coffee, and making a mess with the blender. 

"Did Mokuba eat all the strawberries again? Hmm…Blueberries…" He murmured irritably under his breath, as Ariadne made a spirited attempt at killing the laces on his slippers. She seemed to have grown particularly attached to them; stalking and murdering them was way more fun than batting a ball around all by herself. He reached down patiently- for the fifth time- and disentangled her, walked to the other end of the kitchen, put her down, and went back to the fridge. Ten seconds later, he felt a weight on his foot.

He looked down. Yep, sure as buttered toast lands face down, the animal was eating his slippers again. Time to do what he did best.

* * *

Tea felt rotten, but was dying of thirst. She had dragged her sorry behind out of bed, found the aspirin, tissue,mintsand water Kaiba had left her last night (which hadn't been destroyed, luckily), showered and dressed, and applied all the make-up she could find to make herself look less dead. She definitely had a nasty cold. 

Making her way down to the kitchen, she had to quash several waspish comments about needing instructions with this house, and stop herselfplotting the architect's imminent demise, as she took several wrong turns, and had to be redirected twice, and led the rest of the way by Jennifer. But when they reached the kitchen, the girls heard Kaiba's voice, low and serious, seemingly talking to himself. Jennifer attempted to enter, but Tea grabbed her hand, and shook her head. Quietly, she pushed the connecting window+ ajar, and both girls listened intently to what was going on.

"You want a shoelace? And a biscuit? You are a fool to bargain so low."

"Mrow?"

"Fine. Three biscuits, and we'll play with the lace for five minutes. Ok? Now can I eat?"

A low purring.

"Will you quit pestering me? Or I'll blend you in with the fruit…"

"Mrow…"

"Look- I've thrown the ball. I've put food and water down. I've petted you. What more do you want from me, animal?"

Kaiba sounded exasperated, Tea thought, with surprise- but not angry? Plus…He had petted Ariadne? Thrown the ball? This was most un-Kaiba like…

"Ok. We'll play now. Look! Catch it! Where's it going? Huh? Can you get it? Ha ha! No! I'm too fast for you…Look, its there! Here! There! Come on, Ari!"

* * *

Jennifer and Tea raised stunned eyes at each other. Jennifer broke first, into a huge beaming smile. 

"I haven't seen him like this since his father took his dog away…"

Tea smiled softly, her eyes melting, and for a moment, Jennifer saw vast seas ofgentleness in her blue eyes.

"I always knew he had it in him. Come on; let's give him a chance to save his reputation."

They snuck back through to the stairs, and started a loud conversation, walking slowly towards the kitchen.

"I'm so glad you found me, Jennifer! I could have been lost for hours!" Tea teased lightly.

"It's no trouble, Miss Tea, not at all! You must be hungry! Let me show you to the kitchen- I think Mr. Kaiba is awake!"

Jennifer was less natural, and she shouted a little, raising her voice at the end of each sentence, and making Tea giggle, and hush her. If Kaiba guessed they had overheard him, and knew the rush of pity and kindness that had rushed through Tea…It would be cruel to him.

* * *

"Morning, Kaiba! Thanks for telling me about the clap- activated lighting in my room last night…" Tea breezed in, seeing Ariadne parked by her food dish (and not in the blender, thankfully...), looking bemusedly at Kaiba, and the man himself at the table with a large glass of smoothie and several sheets of paper covered in important looking writing. 

He looked good this morning, she had to admit, his hair damp from the shower, and the hint of his cologne spicing the air of the kitchen pleasantly. She went over to the kitten, and grinned at the speed with which the small amount of food had vanished. Ariadne was looking much better, still skinny, but her attitude was quickly changing- she was skittish until she smelt Tea's hand, then the tiny body vibrated with comically loud purring as she rubbed against Tea's hands.

"There is strawberry, raspberry, blueberry and banana smoothie, or toast for breakfast- if you want anything more, tell Jennifer, and she'll fetch it for you from the kitchen." Kaiba intoned monotonously, not even looking up from his report.

"Thank you, Kaiba- kun. I'll have some toast- that's a rather peculiarly colored smoothie for a healthy breakfast…" Tea grinned at him, and received a slightly affronted grunt for her efforts. A moment later, she processed his exact words.

"What do you mean; she'll get it from the kitchen? We're in the kitchen, aren't we?" She enquired, teasing, sure that Kaiba was so involved in his report he had forgotten their location.

Kaiba glanced up. "This is my kitchen. The meals are made in the second kitchen, when Mokuba and I are in here." He scanned her face, watching scathingly for a comment upon 'spoiled rich kids', but Tea met his gaze evenly.

Jennifer, sensing the tension, looked to Tea, and then Kaiba- seeing they wanted nothing, she left unobtrusively. Tea hummed as she learned her way around Kaiba's kitchen. A moment later, she brought her toast to the table, and sat next to Kaiba, peering at his report.

"Anything interesting?" She enquired easily, trying to recreate the atmosphere at dinner the previous night. Seto grunted in an unfriendly manner, she took to mean 'not to you, dumb little girl'. She tried again.

"Did you sleep well? I was hoping you'd come play the games with Mokuba and I…"

This time, the grunt was relatively aggressive for a single syllable.

"I almost got lost, this morning, but thank you for the aspirin; it was really nice of you…"

"STOP IT!"

Kaiba had shot up from his seat, and his half-shout had scared Tea, so she leaned away from him, looking up at his flashing eyes, and wanting to cower from the heat in his voice.

"Kaiba, I..."

"I. Do. Not. Want. To. Be. Your. Friend. Gardener, do you understand?"

"But…"

"NO! Just stop it! I don't understand it…."

The last four words were barely whispered, and Kaiba looked as shocked as Tea was. Silence reigned in the kitchen, until Kaiba turned on his heel, and practically ran from the room.

* * *

+ Connecting Window- a sort of serving hatch, very popular in large homes of a certain period, as they sped up the rate at which the food was conveyed the (sometimes ridiculously) large distance from the kitchen to the dining room, and allowed food to stay hotter. 

(1) This is, of course, highly untrue, guys. Girls...Don't tell 'em anything!

A/N: Review, guys! 4264 hits, and counting, but I need to know your thoughts! It's a give/give sitch!


	9. Under Pressure' Queen Lives!

**Chapter 9- Seto's 'Under Pressure'..**

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Dedicated to AvidReaderAlso, and her assistants. May they keep up the good work! Also to the real Jennifer (you know who you are) and BlondeDucky...Keep in touch!

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_**"Insanity laughs under pressure we're cracking  
Can't we give ourselves one more chance?  
Why can't we give love that one more chance?  
Why can't we give love? (x8)  
Cause love's such an old fashioned word  
And love dares you to care  
For the people on the edge of the night  
And love dares you to change our way  
Of caring about ourselves."**_

_**-Queen: 'Under Pressure'**_

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* * *

Seto paced in his study. Exactly seventeen and a half strides, turn, and back. Thinking hard about what he had said. What she had said. How she had looked, as he shouted at her. Afraid.

Was this what she had reduced him to? It was like she was wearing him down, slowly peeling away layers of the person he knew of as Seto Kaiba. A lapse of control like this hadn't happened in years- what was going on? Who was she turning him into? Why was she trying to change him- if it's not broken, don't try to fix it, right? Did she think he was broken? Why would she think that? He was one of the most successful men in the world, men and boys worldwide modeled themselves on him, according to magazines and TV. Why wasn't she content with whom he chose to be? Did she know? Did she guess, somehow, that really, for him, it hadn't been a choice? Gozaburo aside, his nature compelled him to be as he was? And furthermore, that he knew and understood what he was doing? If she did, then he had grossly underestimated her.

* * *

Tea, downstairs, was in shock. She drank her OJ, ate her toast, and took herself and Ariadne back up to her room, completely mindlessly. Replaying the conversation in her head, stroking Ariadne's soft fur. Looking for the reason it had gone wrong. Searching for the faulty component. What had she said to push him so hard?

Tea knew that she was a 'people person'. She understood that what seemed obvious to her about her friend's reactions was often a mystery to others. She could comprehend that Kaiba had no interest in becoming like her, but why would he refuse even to acknowledge that her view was valid? What about her view was so detrimental to him? She didn't want to hurt him, for crying out loud, just to help him! Why couldn't he just grow up!

* * *

_Mokuba yawned, and turned over in bed. Mmmm. Warm…Comfy…Sleepy…_

* * *

Kaiba sat in his swivel chair, and pushed his algebra notes around in front of him, staring at the pattern carved into the leather on his desk. This was unacceptable. This was incomprehensible. This had to be….Wait. Hold up a minute. Think rationally a moment.

Kaiba's head shot up from his hands, and he staredcrazily at his notes. A second later, he was typing furiously on his computer, and reading intently. A minute later, he was flying down the hallway towards Tea's room.

* * *

Tea was fuming. She had gone through every minute aspect of the entire morning, and she couldn't figure it out. Was he just being a jerk? Had to be. Maybe he was threatened by her? Maybe, he was jealous, that Mokuba was spending time with someone other than him- she had heard that guys sometimes got like that, especially if they didn't have many friends. Did he suspect that they had overheard him? Nah.

At that moment, she stood, moving towards the mirror on the far side of her room. Absently, she picked up her cell phone. No missed calls. She sighed, and then jumped back with a shriek of alarm, as the door flew open, and Kaiba stormed in, eyes flashing dangerously.

"Oh my God! Kaiba! What's wrong?" She yelped, taking a step away from the glowering man. Kaiba looked her straight in the eye, and glared.

"It's alright, Gardner, you don't have to pretend anymore. I know your little game! So you thought you could fool us, eh? String us along with your plans, and make a buck or two, huh? Well, I've got news for you! I'm on to you, and Schroeder'll never get his hands on our new dueling system!"

Tea was completely floored.

"Um…Kaiba, did you forget to take any medication this morning?"

Menacing, he stepped towards her, and leaned down to get maximum impact from his perfected, patented grade A evil.

"Don't play dumb, Gardner. How much is Von Schroeder paying you?"

Tea's mouth twitched slightly.

"Kaiba. I think you're very tired. Do you want me to get someone?"

"No! Own up! I never suspected you were the type, but all the factors add up, Gardner. You applying for a summer job last year with Von Schroeder Corp. The new dueling system launch. The Limo tyre, Ariadne…It was all a plot, wasn't it? I have to say, I didn't think you had it in you. On the other hand, I caught you pretty early- maybe you don't, huh? Never mind, I'm sure the Geek Squad'll have you back…"

Tea finally lost it.

"KAIBA! I am actually going to hurt you, if you don't take a reality check, right NOW! What in the name of Ramen are you talking about? I'm not some industrial spy? What kind of crack have you taken?"

* * *

_Mokuba fell out of bed. Hearing shouting in the distance, he surmised that Tea and Big Brother where awake, and Seto was going through Phase 1 of his 'making acquaintances' program. Deep, deep paranoia and suspicion. He hoped Tea was recognizing this for what it truly was, rather than what it seemed to be, which was extreme rudeness, slight insanity, and a worrying dash of 'conspiracy theorist' nature thrown in for fun. Oh well, he probably had time for a shower before dealing with the aftermath._

* * *

Both stared at the other, breathing hard. They had been shouting heatedly for thirty minutes straight, and both were past the point of giving in. It was a matter of pride now; both knew the other had a point (in how it seemed, anyway), but neither were willing to admit this, or to apologize for their own behavior first. It was tricky. Tea broke the look first, glancing at Ariadne. Slowly, she picked up the kitten, as if daring Kaiba to say something, and walked out of the room. Nothing. Reaching the end of the corridor, she turned left instead of the usual right, and carried on, desperately needing somewhere to think, alone for a while. Then she saw the door.

It was a beautifully carved door, in the middle of a plain corridor. Cradling Ariadne gently in one arm, she hesitantly knocked. No response. She put her hand to the door, and pushed. It slid open easily, revealing a darkened room. She clapped lightly, stepping in, and looked in bemusement as lights flicked on, and on, and on…

This must be one of the largest rooms in the house, she pondered, wondering further in. The room was filled with books, games, puzzles, video-gaming systems, magic-eye posters, duel-monsters models; everywhere, challenges and interests. But pride of place, in the center of the room, was a plain marble chess set. Cheaply made, and worn from long use, the pieces stood in a particular pattern. White had Dark in a cunning-looking checkmate, although the number of pieces in play was almost equal.

Tea pushed the door to behind her, and moved over to the sofa in the corner. A deck of duel monsters stood in a little case on a table beside her, and she began running through them, each one suggesting possible courses of action, and solutions to her as they passed through her hand. Putting the kitten on her lap, she curled up, trying desperately to find a way to make friends with Kaiba.

* * *

A/N: Sorry about the time it took to update! Updates will return to being fairly regular from now on. Look for c10 in the next couple of weeks! Review, guys!


	10. Sewn

**Chapter 10- Sewn.**

**_"Danny boy,_**

**_don't be a fool  
Take upon to break the rule  
Danny boy,_**

**_you're looking so low-  
You're looking like the dead grown old…  
Anyway the blues may just wash away,_**

**_if you wait for a rainy day…  
But you may find, the chance has past you by…"_**

**_'Sewn', by The Feeling._**

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_This chapter is dedicated to Kate, who will never read this. I can't tell you how glad I have you as a sister in any other way._

* * *

Seto was sitting quietly on Mokuba's bed when he got out of the shower. Mokuba, unsurprised, went about the business of drying his hair, until his big brother felt like talking. He didn't have to wait very long.

"Mokuba…I thought Gardner was an Industrial Spy, and shouted at her."

Mokuba ruthlessly strangled the inner grin that threatened, and focused on helping Oni-chan.

"Ok. Did she cry?"

Seto spared him a disapproving glance at his implication, and then a tiny rueful smile flickered across his face.

"No," he sighed, "she shouted back, and then ran off. Typical weakness…" His sneer was obviously just for posterity, so Mokuba ignored it.

"Do you want to apologize? Or do you want to ignore it."

Mokuba, carefully gelling his hair into its usual spikes, surreptitiously watched his brother in the mirror. Seto looked away. A few seconds later, he grunted something that sounded like 'don't know'. Mokuba raised an eyebrow at this revelation- usually it would have been a snarl, and a glare for the implication that Seto had done something he was ashamed of. Quickly, he blanked his expression, before Seto could see, and shut himself off again. Occasions when Seto relinquished control were few and far between, and Mokuba knew not to abuse this immense privilege.

"The best thing might be to all do something fun together. She'll forget about it, and enjoy herself, so you won't have to feel bad about upsetting her. You have to show her that you are going to react as if nothing unusual happened, and then she'll follow your lead. Probably. "

Seto raised an eyebrow at him.

"Probably?"

"With girls, nothing is ever certain."

"Right."

They looked at each other for a few moments, evaluating this new turn in their relationship, this stitch in time. Seto's shoulders untensed slightly, and he sighed. Then, a second later, the façade was rebuilt, and the CEO of Kaiba Corp. glared out of cerulean eyes.

"Set something up for us this afternoon, Mokuba. From 2-4. Ok?"

Seto was almost at the door, when he spun on his heel.

"Mokuba?"

"Yes, Big Brother?"

"…Nothing. See you later."

* * *

Tea had played with the cards. She played with Ariadne, until the Kitten had given up and gone to sleep. She had looked at the stuffed toys. Even the games consoles, videogame packets and random games stacked neatly in the cupboard had been thoroughly checked out.

"I am so DONE hiding!" She yelled at herself suddenly. Embarrassed at how loudly that had come out, she listened for sounds of people coming to check out the noise, and then continued in the same vein, a little quieter.

"I can't believe I just spent the last hour hiding from Seto Kaiba! Why? He's just so…infuriating!" She mumbled to herself, hoping that 'High-Tech-Kaiba' didn't have mics rigged in every room. She paced up and down a few times.

"What is his problem? Every time I think we've managed half a step forward, he retreats 100 metres!" She sighed, and sat slowly on the sofa, clutching a pillow to her chest.

Leaning back, she breathed out, trying to clear her mind. Calm. Zen. Chilled. Relaxed. That's what she was.

She shot bolt upright.

_Oh crumbs…It can't be. It isn't! It's ok, calm, xen, etc etc, come on Tea…Damnit!_

Good Lord. Could she actually…Like Kaiba? As in 'Like' with a capital L? But what about her never ending crush on Yami? What about the whole 'thou shalt not date thy best friend's nemesis' issue? I mean- Yugi wouldn't mind…would he? Or would he just do his 'it's fine' thing, but be really hurt inside? Oh God.

Tea looked up.

"Joey is going to blow a gasket!"

Ten minutes later, Tea was striding out of the room, holding Ariadne, and along the corridor, back from whence she came. From the central staircase, she was able to find her way to the main hall, where she found the one thing she had been counting on. A small map. Seto's main office seemed to be a couple of rooms down from his bedroom, and she set off hurridly up the stairs, passing Mokuba quickly with a friendly smile and a dashed out- ' Hold Ari- I'm just going to see your brother for a minute!"

Mokuba froze momentarily, holding a sleepy kitten, then began to grin. In a manner that would have put Dastardly and Muttley to shame. This, he could not have predicted. Creeping up the stairs behind her, he followed, anxious to hear how this conversation went.

Tea arrived. Bracing herself outside the door, she noticed a small intercom to the right, with 'Admission' engraved upon what looked like platinum. Not leaving herself time to chicken out, she pressed the green button, hard. Kaiba's voice crackled out of the speaker.

"Yes, Roland?"

"It's Tea."

Pause.

"What do you want, Gardener?"

"To talk. Now. Please."

Pause.

"Fine. Come to the door to your left. Turn the handle twice, quickly. Hurry up- I don't have all day."

Tea paused. Little bit weird. Doing as she was told, she found the door opened smoothly, but with a loud squeak (probably a Kaiba Security Issue, she realized), and breathing out quietly, walked confidently in.

Seto was sat at a large desk in the center of the room, and as attention grabbing as the man himself was to Tea, the desk registered itself instantly in Tea's head as beautiful. It was Louis IX, and a warm mahogany wood- clearly not veneered- lined in warm navy leather, with a soft gold trim curling delicately around the edge. As she got closer, she could see it was in excellent condition, the wood gleamed with regular polish, and the gold ink well in the corner was bright yellow. She ran a finger down the edge, as she sat gracefully in the soft chair (one of two), also blue leather lined, to the right. Blue eyes met blue eyes, straight on. Kaiba smiled.

* * *

Please R&R!

Loving all my reviewers...Cookies for all!


	11. SOS!

**Chapter 11- SOS!**

_"I'm obessive when just one thought of you comes up  
I'm agressive just one thought of closing up  
You got me stressing, incessantly pressing the issue……_

_…Just your presence and I second guess my sanity  
Yes it's a lesson, it's unfair, you stole my vanity  
My tummy's up in knots so when I see you I get so hot  
My common sense is out the door, can't seem to find the lock…"_

_Rhianna, SOS (spliced)._

* * *

It was a 'mental slap' moment.

Seto had caught himself being mesmerized by a finger. Gardener's finger. Trailing in a most uncomforting manner along the edge of his desk. His Desk. His precious desk, which, he felt, supported him and his work through good and bad. She was seducing his desk. And she didn't even appear to know it.

"Gardener? What can I do for you?" He managed, clearing his throat loudly, and tearing his eyes away from hers. It was harder than it should have been. What was going on here?

"Kaiba. I think we need to talk. I want to make things clear, between us." She spoke with confidence, and looked straight at him as she talked, although a hand straightened her skirt slightly, betraying her nerves. But this caught his attention- where was the 'non-confrontational, follow-Moutou-anywhere, people person' Gardener? When had this core of steel developed…It was...Interesting?

"Very well. I apologize for my security concern, but as you can appreciate, in my position, it is something I do not ever forget. What did you wish to speak of?"

Kaiba's unexpected charm offensive had totally caught her off guard. Not only had he anticipated what she had come determined to get out of him, he had disarmed and disoriented her by giving in so gracefully at the very start of their 'talk'. His voice was dark cognac poured slowly over ice, and his eyes weredeep and unreadable. Tea suddenly realized how very dangerously attractive he could be. This, perhaps, was the reason behind what she had never understood before- why at least a quarter of the female population of Earth fantasized about being his girlfriend. Fighting down the urge to retreat (or faint), Tea licked her lips (they were unexpectedly dry- nerves, she supposed) and responded.

"Kaiba, I wanted to tell you what you can expect from me. You want to know how I tick- right? Well I think it's only fair for me to let you know straight out, no diversions. Normally, we'd do this the 'socially graceful' way, but for our friendship, this way is better."

She took a steadying breath, and glanced at his face, which was a pleasant mask, except for one rogue eyebrow, which was creeping skywards in bitter amusement. Fine- let him be like that. She was going to get this sorted, damnit!

"I will not betray you in any way- even to Yugi. I won't hurt or embarrass you on purpose. I will be cheerful (probably in quite an irritating way at times), but I will tone it down upon polite request. I won't lie to you. I won't steal any company secrets and pass them on to the competition. I will eat the last cookie in the jar."

Kaiba's mouth twitched into a momentary smile, then went back to being unreadable. Which was what Tea was hoping for, so she continued, made brave by the lack of direct negation.

"I will look after Mokuba as if he were my younger brother. I will start to mother you a little bit. I will do my best to pull my weight around here. I won't be treated without respect. I will respond in kind."

There was a brief silence, while Kaiba took this in, and Tea breathed out- glad she had said her piece, and ready for the sarcastic response.

"I will not lie to you. I will be sarcastic. I will try to control myself. I will not let anyone hurt you if I can prevent it. I will not change myself. I will try to treat you with respect. I won't be pressured into meeting your friends. I won't let you into my office by yourself. I will let you see Mokuba and Ariadne, if you want. I will ask you to do as you are told in certain situations- especially in regards to security and health. I also reserve the right to stop this at any point."

Tea was open-mouthed in shock. Kaiba had agreed! They could try to be friends. Proper friends- and she could see Ariadne!

Kaiba felt awkward. He had negotiated contracts worldwide, but never one like this before- one that he had not initiated and thoroughly checked out before entering discussions. What did they do now? Shake hands, and then call their lawyers as soon as the other party had left?

"Kaiba…As a favour...Could you call me Tea?"

His head snapped up from looking at his beautiful desk at the nearly-impertinent question. Then he sighed inwardly. He should have read the contract through first- he was not the kind of man who went back on his word.

"Fine…Tea. Then you must call me Seto."

She smiled brightly, and bounced out of her seat like Mokuba on a third helping of Chef's special 'Chocolate and Raspberry Gateaux'.

"Ok! Now that's all sorted, I'll stop interrupting your work, and go find Mokuba. Shall I make lunch? My exotic salad and banana bread are infamous at home! If I make it for 1.30, is that alright? See you later, Seto!"

And with that, she bounced right out of his office, leaving 'Seto' unsure for a moment whether to laugh or cry.

* * *

Bored of not hearing any shouting from the office, and cursing the thick wooden door, Mokuba was in the kitchen, playing with Ariadne, who had developed an obsessive love of string. The youngest Kaiba was standing behind the open cupboard door, dangling a string over the top of it, so Ari couldn't see him when she jumped at the string. As soon as Tea spoke, the kitten scampered over to her, mewing to be petted.

"Hey Tea! How are you?" Mokuba asked, emerging from his hiding spot as Tea rubbed under Ari's chin. She grinned at him, and he frowned slightly.

"Have you…um…seen Seto yet?" He queried, going for a sincere nonchalance far beyond his years. He was even more bemused when Tea ruffled his hair energetically, and practically sang her affirmation.

If Tea looked happy…Seto must be (a) up to something (b)in an unreasonably good mood (c)going mad.

Or…Mokuba's eyes widened slightly as Option D edged out of a dark corner in his mind and shyly waved to call his attention to itself…

_Well_, he concluded a few troubled moments later- _it was practically the same as going mad, wasn't it?_

* * *

Tea and Mokuba bustled around the kitchen, preparing lunch, and Mokuba explained his plans for afterwards.

"So I was thinking, Tea, maybe we could check out the ViReS? We can look in the demonstration game, and then maybe, if you're lucky, Big Brother will set you up your own game! It's awesome, and it's not coming on the market for a couple of years yet, as the materials are too expensive for the market. Please say yes- it's incredible! It's nothing like Noah's world- you can come back anytime you want just by taking off the headset!"

Tea shivered momentarily at the mention of Noah and his insane virtual reality, in which they had all faced and overcome challenges, and almost not come out alive! Or as themselves, anyway, Tea thought….It had weirded her out- the thought of an old businessman (albeit one of the Big Five) in her female body…Just the memory had disturbed her sleep for weeks afterwards.

"Ok…As long as Seto doesn't mind. What does ViReS stand for?" Tea kept her voice level as she mashed pineapple for the salad, and kept an eye on Mokuba, who was trying to sneak scoops of banana cake mix as he transferred it into the cake tin. She was lucky they had all the ingredients, she knew, and the good thing about this kind of meal was that it stayed fresh for hours, so it didn't really matter when they ate.

"Virtual Reality System…We haven't thought of a proper marketing name for it yet. It's still really in the development stage right now, but a few companies will want to see it asap- we're ahead of them! So you mustn't tell anyone. But I trust you, Tea!"

"Make that two of us."

Tea and Mokuba whipped around, surprised at the sudden interjection, and Tea stepped back in shock as she saw the large man, dressed meancingly in a reversible black and white ski-suit step in through the open back door.

"Mokuba?.." She queried, and as his hand shyly slipped into hers, she felt a shot of boldness fly through her. **_I will look after Mokuba as if he were my younger brother._**

"Who are you? What are you doing here? Leave at once!" She stepped forwards, determined to keep her promise, and putting Mokuba directly behind her. She felt him move towards the door, and resolved to keep this thug distracted as long as possible while Mokuba escaped upstairs to get Seto.

"My name is not relevant. However, I must ask Master Kaiba to remove himself from the vicinity of the panic button and door, and for the both of you to move into the steel lined pantry. Silently."

Tea was about to open her mouth and protest indignantly, but her mouth dried and her brain froze as she recognized the familiar shape he produced from the small of his back.

It was a Glock 9mm Luger. With a silencer fitted.

* * *

A/N: Tension! Review and Chapter 12 will be up sooner!


	12. A Stab In The Dark

**Chapter 12- A Stab In The Dark...**

_**"If no one moves then nobody's going to get hurt  
Don't move, 'cause nobody wants to get hurt"**_

_**"Nobody Moves, nobody gets hurt" by We Are Scientists**_.

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Tea and Mokuba moved silently into the pantry, submitted to having their hands bound (while the other sat on the floor, with their legs straight out and spread, and their hands on their head). When the gunman moved to gag them and duct tape their legs together (in two places, to be sure), Tea looked at him, silently protesting, but was ignored. This, she decided, was more than professional. It was personal. Kaiba was going to have a fit! And just when she'd talked him out of his security paranoia. It looked like they weren't to be killed. Just abandoned in a airtight stone/steel small space which didn't open from the inside. Oh yeah. Damn.

She had never been so scared. It was nothing like any of the shadow-games, where at least she had a fighting chance on her own, or with her friends- this was down to one person. Mokuba's and her life was all dependant on the will of one man and his mood. Any second he could come in, pull the trigger twice, and that was it. Two promising lives over in a couple of seconds. It was a frightening thought. As the door closed, and the light receded, so, for a moment, did hope.

She shuffled over to where she remembered Mokuba to be, hitting his legs halfway. They sat for a moment, legs touching in the dark, before Mokuba mm'd quietly at her. She made an instantaneous decision. She mm'd back softly, and pushed at Mokuba, hinting with her movements that she wanted him to lie down facing her. Her hands bound behind her, she wiggled until her fingertips felt the scratchy surface of the duct tape, and she started to pick one side of it away from his mouth.

It felt like hours had passed, instead of minutes, and Tea's fingers got colder, as the tape cut down on her circulation. She had to take periodic breaks and do finger-stretches to keep them going, and she could feel Mokuba's fear and despair for his chance to warn his brother. Eventually, though, it began to give, and, as part of his lips came free, she felt that little flame of hope flare again. A while later, she had three-quarters of his mouth free, and Mokuba was telling her to roll over so he could help her.

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The gunmen moved silently through the house, having disabled the automatic lighting, the outside security, the cameras, the motion sensors, and the alarms, as well as numerous other technological devices installed by Kaiba Corp. Rubber soled shoes, mixed with thick carpet allowed them to move noiselessly into positions already predetermined by the Coordinator. Guns drawn, and ready for immediate use, they crouched at key positions around the mansion, immobilizing Staff via Gas canisters, chloroform pads, or other, less pleasant methods. Speaking quietly into radios attached to their collars, each affirmed their movements with terse code words.

However, Kaiba, famed for his ability to think two moves before an opponent, was not going to choose this moment to be lax in his security. So when a small light began to flash on his computer screen indicating shutdown of a small but extremely crucial switch in the security system, and a faint beeping issued from the secure-com-link he carried everywhere with him in his Rolex, he moved into action within seconds, one thought in his head- Mokuba.

Moving onto emergency channels, he radioed a 911 ahead to his personal Special Weapons And Tactics force. Hanging his coat carefully away, his dark clothing was appropriate for a covert operation (oh, the irony- his mind suggested dryly). Getting out his Emergency Personal Computer, Kaiba quickly checked the schematics of his home. Tracking the hacker blocking his connection to the security systems was going to be a challenge- and doing it without him noticing, was going to take even more time…Time when Mokuba could be hurt or worse. That was not acceptable.

Shifting slightly, Kaiba pushed a book named 'War and Peace' by Dostoyevsky downwards, and stepped into the darkness beyond. It slid noiselessly shut behind him. Sometimes, the old ways were the best, Kaiba thought to himself, then, as he was voice checked, retina scanned, DNA tested and palm proofed, he moved in the 3 step shuffle that told the computer it was not a trap and confirmed his identity via motion sensors, he rethought the idea- you aren't paranoid, when there really are people out to get you…

Sat in the secret central control room, which he had built with Mokuba, just the two of them, shortly after Gozaburo's death, Seto read heat signatures, assessed positioning, and scanned for weapons. From three minutes ago, reading the latest fax from America, to seeing who the hell had dared invade his house, and registering Mokuba and Tea's predicament, he knew time was running out. Once they couldn't find him, they would return to his little brother for answers. Plus, they had shut Ariadne in a tiny airtight drawer, the demons, and she must be running out of air. Kaiba, his handsome face and eyes frozen over with a chilled glaze which he usually reserved for headhunted employees coming to hand in resignations, thought harder than he had ever before, knowing every neuron connecting meant a higher percentage pro life for his little brother, and their friend.

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Tea and Mokuba had managed to remove enough of their gags that they could whisper, while reapplying pressure would indicate no sign they had every been off. Currently, Mokuba was activating a secret panel with a toe- moving his slippers had been the easiest part of the whole operation so far.

"How's it going?" Whispered Tea anxiously. Mokuba murmured his hopeful attitude back. They were working on opening a tiny cupboard concealing a small set of repair tools- including a small saw.

"I've got it!" Mokuba lowered his voice even further, so Tea could barely make out the words.

"Are you sure you want to do this," Tea queried, "You know Kaiba may have his own plans set up for this kind of situation that involve us staying still..?"

"No- I know where he'll be. As long as he was in his office still, which is likely, as he is rarely anywhere else, he will have had a couple of minutes warning. He will be in a safe place…If we escape, I can contact him, and tell him to send in our SWAT team to round them up. Don't worry, Tea- Seto's security interests really pays off at times like this. We have to get to one of the bolt-holes. Each one is separate from the others, but I think I can let him know we're ok from there. Are you sure?"

Mokuba was looking at Tea directly, and she recognized the fear of being alone reflected in her own eyes. There was only one thing to do in this case.

"Sure. I'm in. But be careful."

Mokuba set about sawing them loose. The air was definitely becoming stale, and less oxygenated, and coughing was a complete no-no. Tea and Mokuba grew increasingly nervous as they sawed thorough multiple layers of tape. The noise had to be kept to a minimum, and in the near dark, they both almost cut themselves several times. But in what seemed like too long, Mokuba stood up, and stretched, Tea following. A moment of uncertainty, then they both scanned the pantry for useful weapons…A surprising amount of items revealed themselves, even in complete blackness. Mokuba, holding a couple of tins, and Tea, armed with two large, papery bags, moved quietly to the door.

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Terry, or 'Gamma', to his colleages, was prowling his perimeter. Admittedly, his area wasn't large- hell, there was no two ways about it. It was a kitchen. On the other hand, he had to control the two captives, or Alpha would be angry. Then his life wasn't worth a bean. What was it Alpha had stressed? Oh yeah! Constant…Uh…Oh yeah, Constant Vigilance. That's right. Which mean't staying fully alert, Terry knew. Nodding proudly to himself his own cleverness, Terry stepped around the corner to be met by two powdery explosive blows to the ears and a can of Beanz which killed his vision.

"Hmph. One down, a whole houseful to go, eh Mokuba?" Tea, feeling a surge of courage and bravado take hold, posed as Action-man for a moment, making Mokuba grin back as he murmured- 'where's Ariadne?'

They began a fast but thorough search of the kitchen, finally finding her sealed in a kitchen drawer. Glancing at the clock- a whole seven minutes had passed- Tea picked her up, shoved the first aid kit in her pocket, and followed Mokuba (who had some water and biscuits) out of the kitchen.

Mokuba led Tea commando-style through the house, both of them feeling like rejects from MI:5. As Mokuba dive-rolled perfectly into the living room, Tea scurried in behind him, and over to the armchair she'd been asleep in earlier. If Tea hadn't been keeping an eye out for bad guys, she'd have seen Mokuba push it a metre to the left, and press a button underneath. But she heard the slight ssh-ing noise the floor made as it slid back to reveal a trapdoor.

"Tea- come on, we have to find Seto! What're you waiting for?"

Mokuba whispered, as she stared at him. Handing him the kitten, she followed him down into the dark tunnel, muttering to herself-

"James Bond, actually. Or possibly Tom Cruise dangling from the ceiling on a wire, since you asked."

The door slid closed behind them, and the lights went out, making the darkness complete.

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Tea and Mokuba moved through damp tunnels, breathing in moldy air, their way lit by a torch Mokuba had retrieved from a niche as they came in.

"Mokuba- where are we?" Tea asked, a little scared. The dark was one of her worst things, and darkness combined with cold-hearted killers above their heads and possibly behind or in front of them at any second, had her a little jumpy. To put it mildly. However, she had a hold on it, and her voice only trembled an unnoticable smidgeon.

"Uh…Under the ballroom right now, I think. These are the foundations of the Mansion- Seto had tunnels built in so we could expand…We also have a nuclear bunker, which is where we're headed. There are some computers in there I can use to access the coms, and we can try to find Seto…I hope he's ok."

Tea could feel the anxiety in the air, and moved to try and reassure Mokuba.

"I'm sure he's just fine- wouldn't he be focusing on trying to make the house safe for us? Maybe he got out, and is coming back with the police? Or perhaps we can find him via the computer at the bunker. I'm sure he's ok."

She knew she was babbling, and wasn't really saying anything useful, but a kind of numbness was descending on her- claustrophobia, she recognized. Mokuba moved away from her hand on his shoulder, and mumbled something thoughtfully.

"Come on- let's keep going." She managed brightly. Mokuba looked back briefly at her, but his face was in shadow, and she couldn't read his expression.

In the bunker, five minutes later, Mokuba was thumping the computer in frustration. Tea, feeding Ariadne some biscuit, looked up in surprise.

"I can't get in touch with him! There's someone in the mainframe, and he's blocking our coms. Plus, he's uploaded software that breaks through firewalls and rebuilds them under his instruction, so I can't get to Seto! Also, Seto's not answering any of our codes, and hasn't left me any…Why….You don't even seem to care!"

Tea didn't know what to say- the thought of Seto being hurt or unable to reach him had panicked Mokuba completely, and accusation after accusation poured out. Tea felt each imprecation like a knife in her chest, as he implied she was after their money, had hurt Ari and abandoned her on purpose to get Kaiba to come to her….She knew rationally that he didn't mean any of it, that this was what kids do when they can't handle something, that he was just afraid…But at the same time, it almost broke her heart.

"You've got to be in league with them!" Mokuba, furious and terrified, threw back the door, and vanished into the dark with their only torch. Tea did the only thing she could. She followed the light.

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Seto, meanwhile, was up against a computer genius. Luckily for our heroes, Seto Kaiba counted 'primary computer super genius in Japan', amongst his many and varied titles. Sat in a tiny unlit compartment (he'd been forced to relocate four times now by approaching goons), he was on the verge of cracking the codes that would allow him to realign the security software and take control of the situation, which facilitated his only goal. Find Mokuba.

Now, as he typed furiously, his mind closed off in fear for his little brothers safety. A gentle nerve at the back of his brain reminded him of Gardner too, hopefully they were together, and she would look after him. He had recognized several of the men who had trashed his office, as he watched unflinchingly, as belonging to some new competitors to Kaiba Corporation. He hated new companies- although they were only ever stupid enough to try this option once. His scare tactics obviously needed polish. Well, plenty of time for that later. He had no time to waste on crushing fools right now. He could play later- now it was time for Work.

Typing even faster, he gave a hiss of triumph. The mainframe was online and back under his grasp. Quickly he accessed the trackers, looking for Mokuba's heat signature. He scanned the house, swearing as he saw two shapes hurtling upwards through the tunnels. Quickly approximating their exit into the main house, he noted the four men posted down that corridor. Something must have gone horribly wrong, he noted, closing the EPC, and disappearing into a co-joining passage. What else would cause them to race so quickly towards four men with semi-automatics?

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Mokuba raced up the sloping passage, desperate to escape Tea, who was calling frantically in whispers for him to wait for her, that she could explain. He flung himself around corners, pushed open doors and jumped over trip cords, amazed she was still behind him. Not for long, though. A mocking smile caught his lips as he slipped out the doorway into the upstairs corridor, vanishing as he saw the gun lifted to point straight at him…

Tea, pushing a final sprint, heard a sound behind her, and sped out after Mokuba. She had a second to assess the situation, and then she dived into action…

Just as a shot rang out.

Kaiba emerged into the hallway like Divine Wrath, and took on the nearest goons, knocking them out, and taking advantage of their confusion and unwillingness to shoot, in case they hit each other. Not pausing for a second, soon four bodies slumped on the floor, barely breathing.

Turning, his heart stopped, as he saw Gardner holding his brother tight and close, covered in too much bright, fresh blood.

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R&R! It's good to be back- and I have written up to chapter 15! I'll update soon...

Es

xx


	13. So White As Snow Go Stadium Arcadium!

**Melting Ice - Chapter 13: So White As Snow **

"**_Deep beneath the cover of another Perfect Wonder_**

_**Where it's so**_

_**White as Snow, **_

**_  
Finally divided by a word so Undecided and_**

**_There's Nowhere to go; _**

_**  
In between the cover of another perfect wonder**_

_**And it's so **_

_**White as Snow,**_

_**  
Running through the field where**_

_**All my tracks will be concealed**_

_**And there's **_

_**Nowhere to go."**_

'_**Snow (Hey Oh)' by The Red Hot Chili Peppers.**_

_**(A/N- Recommended listening while reading this chapter for extra atmosphere- it's a fantastic song, and sums Tea and Seto up so well!)**_

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Pain. Violation. Shock. Anger. Numbness.

She could feel her loud, heavy heartbeat, and Mokuba's frantic breathing. Soft carpet. Dampness on her shoulder. The gunshot seemed to have ripped away all the noise when it passed, leaving a momentary void. All Tea could think of, was what she felt.

Tea sank to the floor, frozen, holding Mokuba clasped to her front, ignoring his hands pushing at her. She vaguely heard Kaiba going all Samurai on the idiots who had tried to shoot his little brother…and hit her.

She knew it was bleeding. Felt the clean white cloth sticking to her back and front. At least this way she could stop Mokuba being hurt. Had to protect him. At all costs.

)-

Dimly, she heard the fighting cease, and Mokuba's voice in her ear, all his previous adult emotion gone, only traces of a denying, desperately childish fear remaining. She wanted to reply, but coughed instead. Then Seto was there, pulling Mokuba gently from her grip, going over his little brother for injuries. Then he turned to her, pushing Mokuba back into the dark passageway they had erupted so violently from bare moments ago. He gently touched the shoulder of her sweater, and swore quietly at the blood that came easily away on his fingertips. His dark eyes fixed her with a reassuring stare.

"We have to move- they'll be coming for us. Can you stand?" He had a soft hold of her arm already. She nodded vaguely, and, with help, did so. She was shivering violently, and he wrapped his arms around her, scooping her up, eyes connected as if there was current between them. Pressing her face into his shoulder with his palm, he hurried into the corridor with his burden, just as his Emergency PC beeped twice to let him know KSWAT was in position.

Tea couldn't take her eyes from his face. It was the only thing she felt was keeping her from more darkness. She didn't want to see any more shadows- she wanted light. Watching the miniscule play of emotions on his face, she began to learn the long lost language of Seto Kaiba's face.

(-

A tick by the corner of his eye described inner concern as he looked at Mokuba stumbling ahead with the torch. A slight tightening of his lips showed his feeling of responsibility towards Kaiba Corp, and the protection of its secrets. Setting his jaw tightly was impatience. A line by his forehead indicated stress. The corner of his lip flickering at her was reassurance, and kindness. Tea could only manage a small smile in return, but inwardly the tightening of his hand on her shoulder was all that stopped her screaming. She felt like she was floating, and white dots drifted across her vision. She remembered the snow, and what it had led to. The argument with Seto seemed so far away, so unimportant, so unreasonable. All that was important was that he was here now, and she felt safe with him. So safe.

-------------------------------------------------------

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The next afternoon, Tea was staring out of the window from her bed. Her neck hurt if she looked left, and her right shoulder ached like hell whatever she did. Thinking deeply, she didn't notice Jennifer slip into the room, and pause for a second to look at her.

Covered by plain Egyptian cotton sheets, skin as pale as her covers due to blood loss, Tea's eyes flicked feverishly as she watched something unseen outside. Tea was not one of those women who look delicate and ethereal when sick. On the contrary, the bullet passing through her shoulder seemed to have torn away all the brightness and light so subtle and unrecognized in her. Without it, she looked wasted and dull. Jennifer had never wished so vehemently for someone to recover quickly. Banishing any trace of the thoughts displayed on her face, she smiled and sat quietly in her chair, picking up her book.

Tea was thinking about the Kaiba brothers. Mainly about Mokuba. She was worried- he couldn't be taking this well. It was effectively his bullet she had taken. Plus, he would perhaps be considering it to be his fault; he was the one who had panicked and run away without thinking. But surely Seto would make him realize it could happen to anyone? She had followed him, after all. Surely he would explain that it was just unfortunate, and that it hadn't been anyone's fault- it had been her decision, no accident? That she had registered the gun pointing exactly at his heart, and inexplicably known that if he was hit, he would die? That it hadn't been bravery, just instinct?

Mokuba was the kind of kid that would feel it really hard. Seto, as a much loved adult figure, was reassuring him, she assured herself, warming at the idea. But then, perhaps she had forgotten what Seto Kaiba could be like, she reminded herself dryly. Maybe her brain had been addled by the prolonged eye contact. Perhaps all that staring at his face had given her Post-Traumatic Stress. She hoped. The alternative was a little scarier.

0-

She grinned momentarily as she imagined Seto bursting into her room, roses in hand, on his knees in despair for her health and gratitude for her assistance. Then the mental picture became too much, and she giggled at the (hopefully morphine inspired) image which would be ingrained on her eyeballs for quite a while.

"You seem to be feeling better?" Jennifer murmured quietly from her seat. Tea jumped slightly, and then tried desperately not to tense her shoulder any more as the ripped muscles fired in agony.

"Yes- thank you. A little bit tired, and thirsty…Has anyone visited?" She managed a nonchalant tone, impressing Jennifer and herself.

"I'm afraid not since Mr. Kaiba left you here. Here- have some water…There you are." Jennifer held the straw to her lips. Tea eyed it, hating feeling so helpless.

"So- how long until I can get up?" She asked, looking resigned. Jennifer's smile faltered.

"Well…Actually, you could, theoretically, get up whenever you like. As it is, you're too tired, and the morphine is keeping the full extent of the pain at bay. The Doctor will be back in an hour or so to change the bandages and explain what his plans are. I think Mr. Kaiba has asked to see you now you are awake, too."

"What's been happening?" Tea asked eagerly. "Is everyone else okay? Have they found out who it was yet? Has anyone called my parents?"

Jennifer rushed to help Tea sit up, and prop pillows appropriately as she answered her questions.

"No, Tea, they haven't found out who it was yet- but between you and I, it has to be Schroeder Corp. They're the only ones evil enough to do something like shoot at Master Mokuba. Poor boy. I think he and Mr Kaiba are debriefing at the moment, and your parents were called by Mr Kaiba earlier. They are stranded at the moment, but will try to call at the earliest opportunity. The snow is still deep in their area, even if it is clearer around here. Can I get you anything?"

Tea smoothed her bedcover with her good arm, and rested her head gently against the pillows, trying not to wince.

"No, not at the moment, Jen. But thank you for offering. What did my parents say?"

Jennifer smiled grimly.

"Frantic, I think, is the word. I would suggest you call them soon. Mr Kaiba asked to be alerted when you woke again, so I expect he will come soon, and discuss the situation. Perhaps it would be better to wait until after you have spoken, then you can fully explain to your parents what is going to happen?"

Tea remembered how much she liked highly practical people. Especially when her head was this fuzzy.

"Thanks, Jennifer, that sounds like a good idea. How is Kaiba? And Mokuba?" Her concern was evident in pursed lips and anxious eyes. Jennifer patted her hand comfortingly, and walked over to the dresser.

"Mr Kaiba seems…uh…a little touchy, and distracted, lately. He was very…ah…Firm that you should be treated by experts, and he stayed, along with master Mokuba, until you were stable. Mokuba seems to be taking it quite hard, but Mr Kaiba will help him. You should be more concerned with getting better, Tea- then I'm sure they'd be ok..."

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Seto had received the intercom message that Gardener was awake with more pleasure than he would want to admit. He mentally kicked himself, and rationalized it by pointing out that the only way he could have made that Mouto kid more determined never to have Seto to beat him was by getting his friend killed. Strangling a small smile at his ability to deceive himself, he turned back to his little brother, who was sitting curled up in a large armchair to the right of Seto's desk. Mokuba looked very young and small, in that chair, with his head tucked tightly against his chest. Seto felt a throb of pain in his chest, sad and angry that all his attempt to inform Mokuba that it was not a case of 'fault', but circumstance, had failed. A small bead of anger in his heart suggested that it was very worrying that Mokuba cared enough about Gardener to be this heartsick about her injury.

"Mokuba- let's go and see Tea now. Come on."

Moving to the door, he opened it, and looked back. Mokuba was slowly uncurling himself from the chair, and dragging his heels every inch of the way. The older Kaiba's heart cracked.

"Mokuba? Why don't you get some sleep. I'll go see Tea, and then come tell you how she is. Okay? You should see her in the morning. She probably isn't up to many visitors now, anyway."

It wasn't like him to give his brother an escape route, but Mokuba was looking pale and tired, and it had been a difficult and long 24 hours for him. It was for the best, he thought, and the flicker of relief hidden behind a moment of shame in Mokuba's eyes, confirmed this for him. Mokuba slouched off like a zombie towards his room (untouched by the invaders), and Seto headed towards the medical room.

**----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

Tea was just having Jennifer put some make-up on her when a knock came at the door. Usually, she didn't go in for much, but while on a trip to the bathroom she had caught sight of herself in the mirror, and been horrified by her appearance. Jennifer hurriedly put away the blusher, and straightened her covers.

Tea called out- "who is it?"

"It's Kaiba…Seto Kaiba."

"..."

EEK! Screamed an overtaxed neuron in Tea's mind, and she was momentarily tempted to succumb to the madness. Seto Kaiba seeing Tea wearing a specially adapted loose strappy top- the special adapted-ness being that it had no strap over her injured shoulder- in bed! What was the world coming to?

"Just a moment!" She called calmly- her eyes wide.

"Do I look ok? Am I decent?" She whispered to Jennifer, who scanned her briefly, and then smiled.

"You look fine, Tea. Rather…alluring, in a 'damsel in distress' kinda way…" She teased, whispering back. Tea pulled a face at her, and shifted anxiously.

"Come in?"

Jennifer stepped back, and Seto Kaiba strode into the room, and over to Tea. Her mind went blank, and she looked up at him, blue eyes half-covered by flicks of brunette hair. He seemed so…There. Solid, safe and real. If kind of looming. What was with that, anyway? Sheesh- personal space, much?

"Uhm…You're kind of blocking the light, Kaiba…It's nice to see you alive and well…" She tried to sound light and carefree, and evidently she succeeded, as a small flicker at the edge of his upper lip told her he'd just squashed a smile. He did step back, though, still watching her cautiously.

"You're still as annoying as ever, I see…" He sighed back, an undertone of Gulf Stream in the Atlantic Ocean(1) of his voice. Tea smiled at the hint of teasing, which seemed to perplex and embarrass him, as he looked away and cleared his throat.

"How is Mokuba?" She asked gently. His jaw tightened, and she deduced he was a lot more worried than he wanted her to see. Was Mokuba that bad? What was going on?

"He is…asleep for now. I think he blames himself for your injury more than he should. He seems to be…Rather attached to you, Gardener. But don't think I'm going to let you initiate him into the Friendship Circle of Love Crew or anything."

The last bit seemed tacked on the end more out of habit than feeling, so Tea ignored it.

"Maybe I could talk to him when he wakes up?"

"I think that would be wise. Now, on to more trivial matters. I wish to discuss what we are to do about this situation that we find ourselves in. Gardener, you know I am accustomed to giving Mokuba whatever I think he needs, and at the moment, as incredulous as I am –believe me- what he seems to need, is You."

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(1)- Just FYI- The Gulf stream is a warm current which flows through the much colder, icy Atlantic sea, and lets us have a warm Mediterranean Sea.

R

E

V

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W


	14. Chapter 14

**Melting Ice Chapter Fourteen- 'I'm not Santa Claus'…**

****

* * *

Yugi wanted Tea back. It was more complicated than that, really, but at base he recognised a primal feeling; Kaiba was on his territory. Tea was his best friend, after all! Intellectually, he understood that Tea could be friends with both himself and Kaiba, but some inner caveman (or perhaps Egyptian Pharaoh) was growling and grunting, and bellowing- 'Mine!'

Fair enough, Tea had helped Kaiba out for Mokuba's sake, and the kittens.

Ok, it was just unlucky that she had been snowed in at the Kaiba mansion, and he was sure Kaiba and Tea were probably at the 'not speaking' stage…

But Tea's own personal magic, her ability to conquer hate and promote friendship and love….

"What are you blushing about, aibou?" Yami queried, emerging from the Millennium Puzzle at an irritating moment.

"Umm…Nothing important!" Yugi beamed (a little crazily at first) at his friend/ brother/ darker half. Yami stared back, bemused, aware of subtext but unsure of its subject, and to Yugi's huge relief, decided to let it go.

"So…Want to try and meet up with the guys?"

This agreed, they donned heavy snow gear and a backpack full of sensible 'in case it starts snowing again' kit, and hurried downstairs.

"Yugi- where are you going? Not outside, in this weather, surely?"

Before Gramps could continue his concerned questioning, the phone rang. Yugi, thoughts of liberation foremost in his mind, edged towards the door.

"Yugi- it's for you! Tea's mother."

xxxxxx---------------------------------------------xxxxx

xxxx----------------------------------------xxxx

After an hour's deep discussion, Tea couldn't deny that she wanted to stay with the Kaiba brothers. They filled spaces in each others lives, and it seemed that she learned new things constantly. And, at the moment, it was extremely practical.

"Gardener, what do you think?"

Tea, shocked, looked down at Seto, knelt on the floor in front of her, a gleam of hope in his eyes.

"What kind of a proposal is that?" She grinned at him brightly.

Seto finished doing up his shoelace, and stood towering over her once again. Some people with an over-active imagination might have simpered 'Oh Kaiba- I do!' and forever confused, embarrassed and made an enemy of the man, but Tea knew he had not even considered the alternative implications of his words.

"The best you'll get. Do we have a deal? You stay here for the duration of your recovery, costs covered by me, with the use of the staff to assist you. You will teach Mokuba how to care for Ariadne, make sure he is cared for during my business trip next week according to my specifications, and keep him company while I work. You will be free to leave at any time, should you give a full 24 hours notice."

Seto leaned forward, eyes intent as he finished laying out his terms, noting her glances to the window and her bag, and wondering what she was nervous about asking for.

"Agreed, as long as Yugi, Joey, Tristan and my friends can come and visit." Tea specified a trifle more aggressively than was perhaps necessary, and making Seto raise an eyebrow in amusement.

"Agreed. But every other day at a maximum, and you are not to bother me or cause undue noise and distraction while they are here. Plus, they must remain on the ground floor, except when visiting you in this specific room."

"Agreed."

"You mean it? You want to stay?"

Mokuba was perched at the end of her bed, and Tea, lying awkwardly upright for the third time that day, tried to suppress the urge to nod as she eased herself down into a horizontal position.

"Of course, Mokuba! I have a lot of fun with you guys…Didn't we have a great time yesterday?" Tea's sincerity filled her smile, causing Mokuba to grin back happily.

"People don't always want to stay. Not for fun. People want things from Seto, or they like the house, but they don't want us with them."

Astute kid, thought Tea fuzzily. The drugs were on an automatic timer, every couple of hours, to get rid of spasms in her shoulder. They also made her sleepy and easily confused, and although she knew she needed a good response to this she was just too tired to think beyond a rather basic level. As she yawned, and snuggled into her pillow, she glanced up at Mokuba and found him watching her with sad eyes. She wanted them to go away, and found all she had time for was a few words.

"Don't be sad, Mokie…Love you 'n' Seto…I'll stay."

Mokuba's eyes filled with warmth, but Tea was too asleep to notice as he tucked her in, picked up a dozy Ariadne from his lap and turned out the light.

xxx-----------------------xxx

* * *

"But _Seto_!"

"No, and that's final."

"That's _not _fair!"

"I said no, Mokuba." Seto started to walk away from his younger brother, unable to face the fury in the eyes he cared so much about.

"Wait! Seto, why not? I don't understand?"

"I realised that. But I'm _not_ Santa Claus."

"I know that, Seto…But if we made her happy, maybe she'd stay longer!"

The elder Kaiba sat at his desk, shuffling papers around, and trying to think of a way to accurately explain why fulfilling all Tea Gardener's dreams was a Bad Idea. He looked up, and saw Mokuba's hurt expression- ignoring it was one of the harder things in life, but in this case, necessary.

"Mokuba. We are not taking Tea on a random luxury weekend to New York! I am fully aware that she wishes to go, but you can't just jet people around the world on a whim because you want them to stay over a little longer. Plus, the Tea Gardener's of the world aren't after material gain. She will stay longer if she enjoys being here; its as simple as that. You can't make someone like you…" 'Us' his treacherous mind added, "with money. It doesn't work like that."

Mokuba's shoulders drooped, and Seto realised he might have gone a little overboard on the materialism/ friendship speech. Softening his tone slightly, and moving to put a hand on his head, Seto imparted a recently rationalised idea.

"Mokuba…The best way for you," there was that 'us' again in Seto's head, "to become her friend is to spend time with her, here, and have fun getting to know each other. There is a time and a place for extravagant gestures, but now is not it. Ok?"

Mokuba nodded, recognising some wisdom and a dismissal, and smiled at him. Sending him off to play, Seto watched him move thoughtfully out of the room. Worry creased a tiny line in his forehead. Pastoral care other than his own? Did Mokuba need a leading female influence in his life at this stage? Was he missing out because Seto refused to indulge in relationship with vacuous females? This needed extended thought.

Would a woman; soft, pliable, easily manipulated, be able to teach Mokuba strength? The softer emotions, certainly she was qualified to teach those, but how on earth could she show Mokuba self-reliance, inner strength, confidence in your own ability? Had she shown any signs of these qualities? When would he have time to test her? A brief time, before he had to decide…She would have to be hired, if that was to be, before he left for the conference. Mokuba needed to feel that he would never have to be so panicked again; needed to know the right thing to do if separated from his brother.

He should not grow up in my shadow, Seto vowed, as I grew up I in Gozaburo's.

A knock came at the door, and as he checked his security feed, he noted it was the maid assigned to Gardener.

Jennifer appeared timidly, laying an envelope on top of his 'in' tray. Curiously, he broke the seal (the Kaiba dragon imprinted in wax appealing to him, as ever) and scanned the request. She wanted Yugi to visit tomorrow morning at 10.30. Scrawling a brief agreement, and his initials at the bottom, he handed it back to Jennifer and dismissed her.

While perusing the newest reports on the break in, and the insurance documents, he thought about the building of a case against Schroeder Corp, to whom he was sure he owed the pleasure of a special visit. The strongest evidence they had was the bullet recovered from Gardener's shoulder, and some tenuous links between the captured invaders and ex-Schroeder Corp employees. However, if Tea would testify that the bullet she took was intended for Mokuba, and they all testified against the specific men, then that was something. He had to admit to himself, he owed Gardener. The exact trajectory, recently measured, would have passed exactly through Mokuba's eyes- he would have died instantly.

Was the security tight enough around Mokuba? If this could happen once, it could happen again, and once had already been enough of a disaster for the next decade. Of course, he would select new bodyguards, probably six- one Japanese, one American, one Saudi-Arabian (he had heard these were especially tough), one Russian, one British and one African. Six totally different methods, perspectives, less holes in the net. All six spoke Japanese and English, and had been hand picked by him. Mokuba would start standard training with them, two hours a day, one tactical, one physical.

Seto grimaced to himself. It was hard on Mokie as it was, fitting school and work in. He was pretty tired at the end of the day as it was. But could he leave it any longer? He was old enough to need to know how to handle both himself and unexpected situations. With training in self-defense, negotiation, personal safety and weapons, he'd be safer. The kid was intelligent enough to assess when any of these skills should be used.

In fact, it was the presence of Gardener that had alerted Seto to the gap in Mokuba's training- Mokuba's reaction to an unanalysed, unproven thought had shown Seto that he was not as logical as Seto himself. Already acknowledged as the more intuitive, imaginative one in the family, this had left gaps Seto couldn't have noticed any other way. Plus, Gardener had saved his brother for him.

He was not an especially generous man, he knew himself to possess a streak of ruthlessness envied (wrongly, perhaps) by many. But in his deeper self, he knew he had his own code of honour. Rule #1?

Owe nobody.

* * *

Merry Christmas! May y'all have a fantastic holiday, whatever it means to you, and the best of happiness and health to you and yours! 

Es

xx


	15. Paris in the Springtime

**Melting Ice- Chapter 15: 'Paris in the Spring time..."**

**"Carrie**: 'Maybe I can't leave New York. I don't know how I'd do someplace else.'  
**Samantha**: 'Believe me, your fabulousness would translate. '"

Sex and the City, Season 6, Episode: 'Splat'.

xxxx

**

* * *

**

_Tea was asleep. In her unconscious mind, there was soft music, dim candlelight and a broad shoulder to rest her head on. Safe, content, she moved her feet slowly to the rhythm of the waltz, hearing his shoes slide cleanly across the polished floor in perfect time with her. His cologne and natural musk intoxicating and unavoidable with the proximity to his neck. His tux soft against her cheek, his hand warm and firm in hers, his hair tickling her ear so deliciously…_

* * *

xxx

"I wonder why she's grinning in her sleep?" Jennifer murmured to herself, slightly jealous that Tea should be both asleep and happy when she was so tired and bored. Smacking herself mentally for being mean to her friend, she got up and started straightening the room. Three young men that were expected would be arriving in an hour, and soon she would have to wake Tea and help her get ready for her visitors.

"Tea…Miss Tea…"

She touched her shoulder, and Tea smiled one last, wistful, wide smile and sighed, opening her eyes.

"Remember; don't tense your shoulder as you sit up..."Jennifer helped her, moving the pillows to support her better. Tea excitedly began describing her dream, and both girls sighed over its romantic nature, before Jennifer began the speculation over who her partner could be, and Tea threw a teddy at her in playful exasperation.

Laughing, Tea took her antibiotics and Jennifer brushed her hair and teeth for her (rather tricky, and the cause of much giggling), wiped her face and squirted her with vanilla scent, and straightened her sheets. Tea could, of course, do all of this herself, but for maximum healing she was supposed to remain as still as possible for another three weeks at least.

"Do I look ok? I mean, do I look bad?" Tea asked hesitantly. Jennifer looked at her, really looked at her, taking in the deep purple under her eyes, pale complexion and slightly awkward posture. Then she looked at her glowing smile and dancing eyes and told the truth.

"Tea- you look lovely."

"Gentlemen, Miss Gardener is ready for you- if you would like to follow Rachel, she will show you upstairs?"

Joey passed a rather pompous looking Butler, trying his best to look completely unimpressed, but failing as his eyes widened at the huge, palatial front staircase.

"Huh…Tea sure is getting' spoilt livin' up here with Moneybags and da rich folks.."

"Joey! A little quieter?" Yugi admonished, looking meaningfully at Rachel. Joey snorted, but lowered his voice all the same.

"Sorry already, Yug…C'mon Tristan, keep up!"

"I'm right beside you, numbskull!"

"Hey…Who're you calling names, afro-boy?"

"Quiet, both of you! Tea's really hurt, and all you can do is fight?"

Yugi knew they were all just worried about their friend, but still, their behaviour was unacceptable. They quietened, just in time to see a roll of carpet being carried by two men come down the stairs towards them. As it passed them, they were horrified to see a huge patch of dried blood on the side.

Turning to Rachel, who had stopped with them to allow to carpet to pass, Yugi anxiously asked again after Tea. Rachel looked kindly at the worried young men, and smiled reassuringly.

"Don't worry, sir, she's doing well. It was an unfortunate accident, and she fared much better than the men that shot her, after Mr Kaiba was through with them… She may look a bit pale, but the best thing you can do for her is keep her spirits up and not stress her out."

Yugi nodded, and Joey and Tristan shared an approving glance, as they came to the top of the staircase.

At Tea's door, Joey and Tristan who had been ahead of Yugi, suddenly developed a case of chronic shyness.

"I don't want to go first.."

"I'm not!"

Yugi sighed, realising this was just their way of showing they were afraid, but as usual, placing the burden firmly on him. Yami pushed to be allowed to take over, and this once, he allowed it with no question. He knocked, as Rachel watched curiously, and when a small voice called out for them to enter, he pushed the door firmly aside.

Tea was lying in bed, smiling at them oddly, with a small orange bundle of fur on her lap, and Mokuba Kaiba standing next to her.

"Hi, Yugi! How are you? Do you like the Mansion? Have you seen Seto yet? Hey Joey, Tristan!"

Mokuba's exuberance defused the concern in the air, and led to bigger smiles all around. Yami walked to Tea's other side, and patted her hand softly in hello. This awoke Ariadne, who mrooo'd in protest and stretched onto her back, making Yami rub her stomach with a gentle finger.

"How are you?"

Tea's voice was soft, but bright, and she watched him carefully as she answered.

"I'm feeling much better…Mainly because of the morphine…Whoever said 'the drugs don't work', clearly had no idea how useful this one is. How are you?"

Yami dismissed his own health with a smile and a shake of his shoulders.

"Better now I know you're ok. How is Kaiba treating you? When can you get out of here?"

The small movement of tensing her shoulders sent a spasm of pain through Tea, and she grimaced involuntarily as she stilled, waiting for it to stop.

"Kaiba's been…Great. Really, I know you wouldn't expect it, but he's been more than nice since I got shot, and he was ok before that, even. As to getting out… I'm not. For a while, at least. Kaiba and I have an agreement, of sorts, that I stay here for the duration of my recovery. Plus, I get to hang out with Mokie!"

Yami's smile became a little distant, as Yugi switched instantly upon hearing this.

"Are you sure that's what you want, Tea? Did Kaiba pressure you into this?"

"No, he wouldn't do that. This is mutually beneficial, and let's face it, I'm safer here if those creeps try something again. Let's not talk about that… How's Gramps?"

The subject moved onto more mundane chatter, and Joey and Tristan got over their shyness and managed to join in. In a couple of hours, Mokuba had even set up a computer game, and was beating Joey by miles each time they played, making the blonde even more determined to win eventually. Yugi and Tea watched, and played with Ariadne, neither discussing the distance that seemed to have forced itself between them. Both knew it had a name. Kaiba.

xx

Said object of non-discussion was at work, as usual, in his study in an important video conference with France over the exact degree of pain warranted by their aggressive manoeuvring, veiled, of course, in polite conversation and America who were in the perfect position to cause aforementioned pain, and owed Seto a favour or six..

As a result, he was as close to gleeful as Seto Kaiba ever physically got, without secret moments of crazy dancing. Which never happened. Ever.

Ariadne had been catnapped by Mokuba, so she could keep Gardner happy and revisit her 'friends' from school. Speaking of, Mokuba needed to be fed soon or he wouldn't be able to sleep…Had the Geek squad left yet? Should he send a maid with a hint? No, Mokuba would have brought Ariadne back to him- he had asked him especially to do so. Seto found he was getting to enjoy the kitten's company; she was shaping up to be an excellent companion, only making sure he stroked her occasionally, and happy to warm his lap, and really that purring was quite soothing…

_However, he couldn't quite shake a feeling that she should be white with blue eyes…_

Wanting to pinch himself for letting his mind wander during crucial negotiations (which had practically never happened while he was in a hostile takeover situation), he looked up at the plasma screen.

"So, Madame Gibroux, let me take the silver scissors and cut bluntly through this beautiful façade of polite and dull, pointless wrangling. Tell me why we shouldn't just buy you out entirely and liquidate the company."

Madame looked grim, and gestured to an aide behind her to hand her a manila folder. Taking it, she opened it up and positioned it so that it was visible on the screen. Glancing briefly at the American board of directors, she locked eyes with Seto Kaiba lounging in his leather chair.

"As you said, Mr Kaiba, let me cut to the chase. We have knowledge of the location of a duel monsters card known as '_**Aurora Borealis'**_ or 'The Northern Lights'."

Seto's ears pricked slightly, although outwardly he only raised an eyebrow a fraction of a centimetre. This must indeed be a last resort. To attempt to soften the inevitable blow by doing him a personal favour? But on the other hand, this was a particularly interesting card, and combined with another card he already possessed, extremely powerful. Powerful enough to allow him to take on the Gods themselves?...

"This card would be of interest to me. However, you say you only have the location of the card, and do not in fact own it?"

Madame Gibroux shook her head.

"No, I do not own it. Mainly because of the legends which surround it. It is said, it can only be obtained by a duelist of skill, courage and passion, which can survive both Fire and Ice. There is a test, set by Pegasus, which is rumoured to be rather problematic."

Seto had one question.

"How problematic?"

"Fatally problematic."

"Hm...Excellent."

Retrieving the details from the Fax Machine, Seto perused them with mild interest. It was, coincidentally, looking like he might have a gap in his schedule in a couple of weeks time. Mokuba and Gardner would still be on holiday, and she would be much recovered, and more able to travel, by then. Plus, he owed her, and this could be a subtle repayment. With her there, he would be able to pursue the 'Aurora Borealis' card without worrying about Mokuba as much, and secure in the knowledge that the so called 'King of Games' was in Japan. He would succeed where others failed, and maybe, with this card, gain the right combination to beat Yugi and the God Cards once and for all.

"Very well, Madame. I will consider the effect this may have on Kaiba Corporation's response, and will notify you of the final actions. Assuming you have nothing else to offer me, Madame, I bid you and my American colleague's goodnight."

As the video screen blinked off, Kaiba leaned back in his chair, and pressed the intercom.

"Firstly, get rid of Ms Gardner's guests as soon as possible. Secondly, prepare dinner for three in half an hour. Thirdly, I need someone to take the helicopter into town for me."

x

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_Sorry about the long break; please try and be patient with me! Thanks to all my regulars for their continued support and encouragement, and to every individual reviewer. It really touches me that you would give your support and suggestions so freely. xxxxxx p.s. Sorry about the 'x' interuptions, they are purely line breaks!_


	16. Freudian Slips

**Chapter Sixteen: ****Freudian Slips**

_**"The great question that has never been answered, and which I have not yet been able to answer, despite my thirty years of research into the feminine soul, is "What does a woman want?""** Sigmund Freud_

_[We're throwing Freud a bone, here...;)_

X---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------X

"Here, I have gifts for you both."

This shocking announcement by Seto had both Mokuba and Tea gaping. Mokuba grinned and looked at his big brother again, while Tea tried not to make her muscles spasm in surprise.

"Yay! Thanks, Seto! Tea, Big brother always gets gifts instead of telling us where we're going…It's like a clue to figure out! So cool! Where's mine, Seto?"

Mokuba's exuberance was rewarded by the revelation of a nicely wrapped box, about a foot long, with a bright red bow on top. Ariadne, from her position on Tea's lap, began to look interested. Mokuba, after a permissive glance from his older brother, tore into it.

A beautiful model of a Cathedral, in perfect detail, lit with hundreds of lights to reveal gargoyles and intense gothic architecture was lifted gently out of the box. Seto, saying nothing, reached over and flipped a switch and the lights blazed to light, causing Tea and Mokuba to blink rapidly and look away.

"Wow! Seto, it's amazing! Hm…So somewhere they have lots of big Churches, and lots of Light…"

Tea felt the beginnings of amazement swirl in the pit of her stomach. Then Seto handed her another, flatter box.

Smiling at him, she carefully lifted the lid, and looked inside. A plastic CD box and a small model…

"The Eiffel Tower! We're going to Paris?" She squealed from her bed, wishing she could get up and hug him in a spontaneous fashion.

"France! Cool! What's the box, Tea?"

"How to Learn French in a Fortnight…Thank you, Seto, this is…Amazing! Wait a minute. You want me to go to Paris with you and Mokuba?"

This all seemed a bit too good to be true to Tea, and she wanted to check she had it straight, so there could be no confusions or disappointment.

"Very much so."

"Aha ha."

Kaiba raised an eyebrow as Tea made a vaguely incomprehensible noise somewhere between a sob and an insane giggle, but decided to ignore it, and consequently, her.

"Mokuba, you will help Gardner with learning French. You will also do all your holiday work before we leave; I will go over it when you are finished. Now, please eat."

As the food was being served, they had no real choice, but Tea thought she detected a note of pleasure at their reactions. They ate silently, Ariadne having been relocated to her bed for the duration of the meal to prevent her crying to join in with the meal. Kaiba finished first, and excused himself to 'finish some work', which seemed to be a more regular occurrence now that Tea could remain with Mokuba, who was fighting for the award of 'Slowest Eater of All Time.'

"Mokuba…Wow! Does your brother often do this kind of thing?" Tea asked, searching for motivation and a firm grip on the snowy mountain top also known as Seto's personality.

"Well, for me he does, I guess…When we get to spend time together I think he likes to try and make it special. But we've never taken someone else before! It's going to be so cool, Tea! We can ice-skate, and go to the Louvre, and maybe Seto will even take you to that Windmill place…"

"WHAT?!?!"

"What's wrong, Tea? Don't you like Windmills? I liked them a lot when we went to Amsterdam, but Seto says I can't go to this one 'cos I won't like it. I'm sure I would, though! But he won't change his mind- he hardly ever does…"

"Right. Um…Maybe you are just a mite too youthful and, ah, 'bright', for the Moulin Rouge. It's…Fuddy-Duddy! That's it! You'd be bored out of your mind. Never mind. Where else could we go?"

As she listened to Mokuba's chatter, her mind was drifting. Paris! Such a beautiful city. But… The City 'd'Amour'? Could Seto be, in a round-about kind of way, reciprocating her…Attraction? If he was, then he went all out- for a first date, that is. She smiled slightly, and looked away through hooded eyes. Gotta love that style…

* * *

* * *

A half hour later, she returned to her room to check her phone before saying goodnight to Mokuba. She opened the door, and came to a dead stop.

There was another package on her bed.

It was wrapped in the same paper.

It even had a similar card.

Seto.

Perhaps her thought pattern was a little erratic, but she felt that, all things considered, her reaction was justifiable. Edging around the room, she came for a closer look.

It was a smallish box, about the size of a paperback novel.

For some reason, this made her subconsciously nervous.

As well as consciously…

Maybe she should leave it for later? After all she had to tuck Mokie in… But what girl could abandon a gift unopened? What if it vanished before she got back!? That would be…Bad. Very bad. So it would be best to open it now really, however much it freaked her out. At least once it was opened, she could deal with it?

Taking a decisive step forward, she picked it up, and then promptly dropped it like it was hot.

"What am I doing?!?! This isn't an intelligence test! Pick up box. Open box. See contents. No big deal! Get on with it, Tea!" She chided herself, picking it up gingerly.

Tea could fool herself as much as she liked, that it was 'no big deal'. If she was totally clear with herself, her former admission of the possibility of a 'fine romance' with Seto Kaiba had completely annihilated her ability to be rational and calm. All of her brain space was currently in operation dealing with that. She had never really had a real boyfriend, relationships sure- but none of them had been truly what she had felt she needed, and as such, none had lasted very long. All of her life, she had been looking for more. Better. Higher, Stronger; whatever it was- some quality that had so far eluded her completely in the relationship department. Her theory on it was, because she was so used to mothering her boys, she mothered her boyfriends, who enjoyed the security and attention, and completely neglected to return it, even in small ways. Then she felt insecure, and shortly after that, they broke up. And they did NOT stay friends, however much Tea wanted to. This theory was Tea's main reasoning behind her discouragement of Yugi's tentative advances- their friendship was too valuable to her to risk in such a manner.

But Kaiba….

Well, technically, he was the enemy… So if she did want to risk it, and he wanted to risk it and it all went wrong despite their best efforts and it ended up disastrously, with neither of them speaking, no problem, right? Plus Kaiba was the last man on earth to want constant mothering; he was more than capable of standing on his own two feet. He was too control-obsessed to let anybody else take over the decision making- she wouldn't have to follow her normal pattern at all. It would be something entirely new…

He would care for her (as best he could, she acknowledged with a wince) emotionally. Her physical safety was already assured- Mokuba first, always, but she would be happy with second- that was how it should be. Her forte, on the other hand, was emotional strength and tolerance- their flaws and strengths complimented each other well.

So maybe, if she wasn't horribly, terribly, wrong and he did like her in some way (she wasn't daft, and knew from hanging out with a group of guys that 'unimportant' people didn't get invited anywhere) then it could be worth the struggle.

She pictured him; those shoulders, that smile, the potential warmth and softness in that glance. Oh yes, it would definitely be worth it.

So she pulled the ribbon off of the box, and cast it onto the bed where Ariadne pounced on it and wrestled happily. She lifted the lid and put it on the bed, then allowed herself to look inside.

Beautiful.

Gloves?

Gently running a finger down the soft cashmere, she subconsciously mirrored the sender, raising an eyebrow all the way up to level three. Gorgeous gloves, downy soft, but well made. They were a beautiful dusky pink, with five little pink pearl buttons on the side to be done up…They were the most lovely accessories she had ever owned.

She opened the card in quiet awe and appreciation.

[To help you keep your warmth. –S.

'All in all', she thought, 'this is Very encouraging…'

* * *

Next chapter up approx 14th/16th.. Keep reviewing please- it brings me such a great vibe! 


	17. Shut up and Drive

_Dedicated to Mary Buddle, August 2007._

**Melting Ice: Chapter Seventeen: 'Shut Up And Drive.'**

_"Get you where you want to go, if you know what I mean- _

_Got a ride that's smoother than a limousine, _

_Can you handle the curves? Can you run all the lights?" (Rhianna- 'Shut up and Drive')_

* * *

* * *

Kaiba knew dinner had been an unbridled success- beyond his expectations, actually. Gardner had loved the whole deal, and her pleasure in his simple gesture had temporarily assuaged the voice in his head (which was now purring happily in some contented corner of his brain). Mokuba was definitely due a little time and attention, and Seto felt in need of a little 'something' himself, actually. Thinking about it, he felt rather like one of KC's supercomputer mainframes- Overworked, Overheated- and so Over not getting away for Christmas this year. This Aurora card search might be a blessing in disguise.

The gloves were one of his latest schemes. Gardner's clothing was limited (in more ways than one- surely there wasn't enough material for a belt, never mind a skirt, involved in the production of her attire?) inappropriate, unpractical and not at all to his taste. Especially the skirt... Thus, by warming her up with small and practical gifts, when the time came to tell her to improve her wardrobe she would be much more amenable, surely. Plus, that skirt was distracting. Especially when matched with his jumper. It made him...uncomfortable. As if by wearing his clothes she had informally deepened his responsibility to her- he felt more...Aware of her. Almost...Proprietorial. So it had to go. Fast.

He hoped he would be in the vicinity when she found box no.2- her reaction promised to be...Explosive...

* * *

Tea spent her next morning doing gentle physiotherapy via video link on her arm. It was so careful at this stage; mostly stretches and cautious extended motion. However, at the end of her two hour session she was tired, in pain and grouchy. She had forgotten her worry over the wording of her thank you note to Kaiba last night _("I shall enjoy wearing such beautiful accessories. Thank you for your thoughtfulness. - Tea")_ and was more concerned with scooping up Ariadne from the kitchen and having a rest on her bed with the kitten.

Just as she'd lowered herself down, breathed out, relaxed muscles, cleared her mind and closed her eyes, Sod's Law struck again. She growled at the knock on the door, and mumbled an invitation to enter.

"Good afternoon, Tea- look at this!"

Jennifer entered, balancing a large white box on her knee and negotiating the door adeptly.

"Mr Kaiba has sent you another gift! I think he must feel very badly about your injury...He's rarely this interested in anyone except Mokuba, of course...How are you feeling? You do look a little tired. Shall I leave you to rest?"

As she'd chatted cheerfully, she'd placed the box on Tea's bedside table (where it hovered precariously between the edges) and moved to help her sit up more. The girls examined the box curiously, and Jennifer transferred it carefully to Tea's lap, where Ariadne mewed in irritation at being displaced.

"Do you know what it is? Surely the box is too big to be a scarf and a jacket or boots would be too extravagant, right?"

"Hmmm. Money has never particularly concerned Mr Kaiba in that way. If he thinks it's appropriate, he just buys it. He once made me shop for... Well, never mind that. Are you going to open it?"

Jennifer appeared to have remembered something fairly interesting, thought Tea, judging by her flushed face. She agreeably reached for the sky blue velvet ribbon, enjoying the sensation of running it through her fingers gently and watching the bow grow smaller until it was undone. Then she was interrupted from her hedonistic moment by yet another knock on the door.

"Come in!" She called, trying to keep patient. What a frustrating day! As Mokuba let himself in, she managed a welcoming smile in reply to his greeting, and allowed Jennifer to make room for him on the bed before tugging on the ribbon again.

"I just heard Roland say that Seto had bought you another gift as I was getting some milk, and I had to come up and see what it was! I'm glad you didn't start without me... I can stay, right?"

Tea smiled, more genuinely this time, and calmed him down.

"We've only just started, so don't worry... I'm going to peek first, and then maybe, if it's not too exciting and special, and you're both really nice to me, I might let you see! Hmm..."

Tea held the box up and shook it gently, hearing only rustling tissue paper inside. Jennifer and Mokuba were watching her like starving puppies waiting for a treat, and she couldn't resist teasing them a little more.

"Maybe I should wait...?"

"NO!" Shouted Mokuba and Jennifer, the latter looking rather abashed at her own gusto.

"Ok, Ok" laughed Tea, "here we go..."

She lifted the lid carefully, and peaked inside. Pulling back a fold of silver tissue paper, she saw...Lace?!

"Oh. Oh! Um..."

She slammed the box lid back down so hard she almost crushed it, and pulled it away from Mokuba sharply.

"What's wrong, Tea?" Jennifer asked, alarmed at the noise and reaction. Mokuba looked curiously at Tea's wide eyes.

"I...Oh dear! Jennifer, we didn't give Mokuba the message! Mokie, you're wanted in the...Garage...Urgently! I'm so sorry, but you'd better go. Quickly, or you'll be even later! Right, Jen?!"

The confused maid managed to hide her surprise just in time to present Mokuba with a blank face. Nodding, she shepherded the wriggling boy to the door, and practically ejected him from the room, Mokuba so impressed by the urgency of his task that he had forgotten about the box, and practically ran down the corridor.

Having shut the door behind Mokuba, Jennifer turned back to a rather pale Tea Gardner.

"What on earth is going on? Are you alright?"

"Yes...No...Maybe...Look in the box!" Tea took the lid off completely and held it out so they could both see the contents. Jennifer's eyes widened.

Two sets of lacy underwear from Rigby and Peller lay folded on beautiful paper. A light pink balcony bra and French knickers set, and a soft, deep blue corset, thongs and stockings set, all in her sizes.

Jennifer gaped wordlessly at Tea. Tea gaped soundlessly back. For about a minute.

"There must be a mistake!"

"Mr Kaiba sent you lingerie!"

"Oh My God!"

"I know! What are you going to do? Can you accept it?"

"Faint, maybe? I shouldn't..."

"But they are really beautiful..."

"Yes, but he is my Employer! This is...Sexual Harassment!"

"Well, not yet, but it could be if you accept it..."

"JENNIFER!"

"Sorry...But he is pretty hot. Very hot."

"Yes, but this is so...Perverted! Hentai CEO...Grrr..."

"You're going red, Tea- are you ok?"

"Ohhhh...He's so going to pay...If he thinks I'm going to take this lying down...What kind of girl does he think I am!? Stupid, arrogant, insensitive... Argh!"

"Tea? Where are you going? Umm...Tea...?"

Her only response was the door slamming behind Tea as she flounced out in only her night dress and gown, carrying the offending box with her.

* * *

* * *

"Mr Kaiba?"

"Yes, Roland?"

"I have Miss Gardner here, and she is rather insistently demanding to see you. Now."

"Very well, Roland. I was expecting her."

"Very good sir."

* * *

"KAIBA!"

Seto had just enough time to suppress a grin.

"There is no need to thank me. I hope everything is acceptable? You look a little stressed, is your physiotherapy too tiring?"

Had Tea managed time to think, she might have realised that this volume of speech alone suggested that the man was definitely up to something.

"Don't you play the innocent with me, Seto Kaiba!"

Said male noted inwardly that she was rather unexpectedly beautiful when fired up with righteous indignation. Then he noted her attire –a rather flimsy cotton night dress that was again, much too short (what was with this girl and bare legs? Did she not realise how distracting it was?) and an open dressing gown covered in pale green leaves. Suddenly he realised he was being asked a question.

"What on earth were you thinking!?"

"Excuse me? Explain yourself, Gardner."

"The KNICKERS, Kaiba!"

"Ahh..."

"Don't 'ahh' me! I'm your employee!"

"Tea..."

"And the corset? I don't even wear thongs!"

"Tea.."

"And if you think that you are ever, ever, Ever going to 'see how they fit', you had better have them back, right now!"

"Tea...!"

This time, the slightly strangled note in his voice caused her rant to pause, and he seized the opportunity like a drowning man to a life raft. Seto had only just realised the level of detail she was prepared to give was quite a lot more than he could handle, and that he felt extremely out of his depth. As he rallied his arguments, Tea asked in a slightly calmer tone-

"How did you even know my size, anyway?"

"Tea! Please, let me explain."

Kaiba tried his normal 'pitch voice chill at minus 40°C', but it had no effect on the fiery brunette now stood before him.

"Ok. But you should know that if this is what you expected by me taking this job, you can forget it. How could you even think?.."

Seto decided to interrupt before she got going again.

"It's not what you think, Tea. Not at all."

She was so shocked by his calm, quiet, almost friendly tone that she shut up, nodded for him to continue, and listened.

"It is really very simple. One of the servants commented within my earshot that much of your...ah...underclothing...was ruined when you were injured. I thought the least I could do was replace it, and had some ordered in for you. One of the maids who does the laundry knew of your, ah, proportions, and informed me. I apologise for not being clearer in my note."

One word rang in Tea's head.

"Note?" She repeated, numbly. There had been a note? It was the final straw, and her stressed out brain was overtaxed with the idea that Kaiba- the Bad Guy- had done something so generous and thoughtful and that she had thought him the worst kind of evil male...

Kaiba, noting that she was extremely pale and had a strange expression, moved towards her.

"Are you alright, Tea?"

To his shock, she moved forward, almost blindly, and wrapped her arms around his waist, burying her head into the niche between his neck and shoulder. To his further amazement, his arms seemed to know exactly where they fit, and pulled her in securely against his chest. As he held her, warm and soft, and more pliant than anything he had ever known, his brain fizzled, blinked, and finally, tripped out.

* * *

A/N: I'm so sorry for the delay on this update, unfortunately I am recovering from an above-knee Deep Vein Thrombosis at present. So let this be a warning to all writers- move about from your computer every hour or so! Take it from me, it'll be worth it Plus, the song that serves as a title to this is a new fave of mine- I totally recommend it! Thanks for all your encouragement. 


	18. The Omnipotence of the Dream

**Melting Ice, Chapter Eighteen:**** "The Omnipotence of the Dream."**

_**"Surrealism rests on the belief in the superior reality of certain forms of association neglected until now, in the **__**omnipotence of the dream**__**, and in the **__**disinterested play of thought**__**."**__(Andre Breton, __The__ Surrealist Manifesto)._

* * *

After Tea had calmed down, and he had slowly released her (he decided, of course, that it was her extreme distress and the shock of her action that had caused his reluctance to release her immediately) he rang for hot, sweet tea, coffee (black, two sugars) and food to be brought up as soon as possible to his study.

"Thank you, Seto. I'm sorry that I cried on you." Tea sat comfortably in one of the armchairs at the far end of his study, a cashmere blanket on her lap, warming herself nicely by the fire. Seto returned to his seat opposite her, next to his favourite bookshelf, and sat down.

"Its fine- you are obviously still ill. You should make sure that you rest enough, and eat well." Seto bit out, attempting to sort out the best course of action to fit keeping an eye on her into his already crowded schedule. Seeing her face fall, he added gruffly, "or you won't be able to enjoy Paris."

Tea felt that now was not the best time to try and explain the irrationality of women and emotions to the rather sheltered in that respect guy before her. Yes, she was in pain, but she was convalescing very well. Plus, the thought of confessing that it was the magnitude of his thoughtfulness which had broken the dam was mortifying. As the sandwiches and hot drinks were disappearing, she watched her newfound non-pervert employer and friend reach restrainedly for a second quarter and then devour it within seconds.

"Seto, do you eat breakfast?"

"No time."

"It's almost quarter past three- please tell me you had some lunch sent up?"

"Worked through it..."

"Oh. Another sandwich?"

"Yes, thank you."

In the ensuing silence, Tea's maternal psyche was registering his lean physique, shadowed eyes and ravenous hunger, and protesting quite strongly. She impulsively decided to try and make sure that he got his full three meals a day- even if she had to force him to eat at midnight! He looked so tired; Tea knew he was older than she was, but judging by the look in his eyes he was miles nearer forty than the average nineteen year old. This holiday seemed to be more necessary than she had formerly realised. He desperately needed some R&R.

Meanwhile, Kaibas sandwich consumption had kicked his brain back into fifth gear. He had always liked the idea of tea-time, as it occurred in England. By three something he was usually famished anyway, and by ordering it to be served at the same time every day (when he was at home) he could check on Mokie and Tea, take a break and go back to work with a new perspective. It was pleasant for once not to eat alone, even if she persists in asking ridiculous questions. However, he felt that somehow, with her hot temper and that inappropriate hug, she had breached his defences. This made him nervous, and both inclined to lash out at and submit to her warmth. The secret knowledge of his preferred option made his tone harsher when he finally spoke.

"I must get back to work."

This extremely abrupt and seemingly random dismissal confused Tea, who had begun to think they were getting on rather well.

"Oh. Ok, I understand. Thank you for everything, Seto. See you later."

She made a beeline for the door, abandoning her drink mid-sip, anxious not to bring back the earlier tension between them, unaware that she was causing him to feel like a cad for being unable to control his tone.

"Gardner!"

The sharpness of the syllables in her name made her wince; she'd almost made it to safety. She put her head back around the door she had been in the act of closing.

"Yes?"

"We will be eating at eight. The minister for Tourism will be joining us. Ask Roland to find you something to wear."

"Thank you. I'll look forward to it."

And she already was.

* * *

Tea had slept for a couple of hours, then got up and went to wash her face. It was only then that she realised that post-hug she had been wearing a mascara face-mask...Darn it, it was never as water-proof as it claimed! She shuddered to think of what she must have looked like; delicately nibbling cucumber sandwiches with grungy make-up running down her cheeks, making her look like some kind of demonic maniac. Wrong impression, much? 

Oh well, she sighed, never mind. There was nothing to be done about it now! Especially the hugging Kaiba part...Ah well, it had been worth it.

After a serious clean-up operation had been completed in full, she summoned Roland and Jennifer and explained to them Kaiba's unusual request. Bemused by their lack of panic (where were they planning on finding a dress suitable at such short notice?) she gamely followed them to an attic room at the very top of the house.

"Roland! Where did they come from?"

The Butler looked rather uncomfortable and almost sidled on the spot.

"Mr Gozaburo Kaiba had many female companions, and quite often the poor ladies left in rather a hurry. None of them left forwarding addresses, and ah, many seem to have vanished. So we stored their clothing up here until the present Mr Kaiba decides what to do with it. I suspect that, at some point, he will have it donated to charity, by an anonymous benefactor."

Tea shivered at the grim undertones of the story, reflecting on the horrible man who had adopted Seto and Mokuba. Seized by a sudden urge for comfort, she picked Ariadne up, and cuddled her gently. Roland (who had an extremely soft spot for the kitten) held out his hands.

"You're going to need those free; go on and look through the dresses with Jennifer- there's a changing area near the back. Ari and I will wait here for you."

Tea handed over the kitten, and followed Jennifer towards the racks of clothing. Luckily, they seemed to be organised by material, so she was able to avoid a rather disturbing section of leather and lycra, and move straight towards silks, satins and velvet. Jennifer plunged straight in, bringing out plenty of LBD's (1), formal ball gowns and sophisticated cocktail dresses, holding them up to Tea and just as swiftly discarding them.

Bemused by the efficiency and enthusiasm of her friend, Tea stood still obediently, letting her mind wander over the racks greedily, noting boxes of shoes and accessories stacked neatly along the back wall of the room, taking in the wallpaper and full length mirror, and the bathroom door to her far right. As her eye swam through each rack of clothing, Tea's attention was snagged by a small swatch of light pink and brown velvet, half hidden by the jewel tones on either side of it. Almost entranced, she moved towards it, and pushed the emerald frock in front of it away.

A beautiful A-line cocktail dress in brown velvet, with light pink silk rustling seductively through slits in the bodice and skirt revealed itself. Its delicate cut, and low neckline made it slightly risqué, but the velvet and colour combined to give a surprisingly demure impression. Gently, she held it up against herself.

"What have you got there, Te...Oh. It's gorgeous! You have to try it on!"

Jennifer, having finally noticed that she was talking to herself, had looked up to see Tea holding the dress. She was rewarded by a dazzling smile from her friend.

"Do you think it will fit? It's certainly lovely..." Tea queried, intrigued, but afraid to spoil the mental image of herself wearing this particular dress. Jennifer nodded briskly.

"I think so; but you'll never know until you try it on! The colouring will be perfect on you- go on, then!"

Tea slipped into the bathroom to try it on, while Jennifer rooted around for shoes to match, both girls praying it fitted adequately. Eventually, she located some plain pale pink suede sandals, handing them around the doorframe to Tea.

* * *

"Roland, Tea's going to show us a dress now...Would you like to see?" Jennifer asked quietly, watching the big man tease Ariadne with a handkerchief. He straightened up instantly, and tucked the kitten in his jacket pocket, where she peeked out happily.

"Ready Tea, whenever you are!" Jennifer called excitedly, standing by the full length mirror with Roland, who was having trouble keeping Ariadne calm in his pocket.

Tea slowly opened the bathroom door, slightly agitated about the opinions of her friends. Was it too low? Too small? Or just wrong..? She had tried to see her reflection in the small bathroom mirror, but it just hadn't worked- she could only see her face and neck. She carefully stepped out in her heels, testing their balance. They were quite high, but fairly comfortable, so she wasn't too worried about them.

Roland and Jennifer watched Tea step out, and both subconsciously smiled a little wider.

'She looks every inch a lady,' thought Roland proudly, stroking Ariadne's forehead with one finger and absently noting the purring increase a notch. The low neckline hinted tantalisingly at a full bust, without actually showing very much of it, and the slim fit showed a dancer's figure to perfection. The bandages on her shoulder were covered by a fall of pink silk and brown velvet, although you could make them out if you looked hard enough. But it was the plain heels that really finished the look. Tea's already lengthy legs were showed to their maximum potential by the three inch stiletto heel, and the pink suede supported her ankle comfortably.

Jennifer's thoughts ran along slightly different lines.

'Mr Kaiba's going to need to run for the hills to avoid falling for her now...'

* * *

After a rather idyllically restful afternoon (the only hazard being avoiding Mokuba's insistent enquiries about his brother's second gift), Tea felt refreshed and ready to brave her first social engagement with an important civil servant. The thought that Kaiba respected her enough as a person to invite her to join him at a business dinner had her feeling rather good about herself. 

Humming to herself as she rearranged flowers on her dressing table, she mentally planned out her beauty regime, as she would have strategized a military campaign. She had been able to order some products to be specially delivered when the food for dinner (and the chef, in fact) had been flown in earlier that day, and as Kaiba had said cost was no object...She and Jennifer had really quite enjoyed themselves. Perhaps if they worked as well as the advertisers claimed, Kaiba might see her a different way tonight...Realise her 'advantages'..?

Committed to her goal, and with a rigorous afternoon of preparations ahead, she called for Jennifer, who had promised to help her get ready- she had more movement in her arm daily, but it was still very easily tired. Carefully, she and Jennifer managed to wash, exfoliate, wax, tan and moisturise her body, deep condition and wash her hair, pluck her eyebrows, perform a mini facial, brush and floss her teeth, clean and polish her nails, apply make-up, perfume and clothing and finally slip her feet into her Kurt Geiger heels.

As usual, things went wrong, patience was tested to the max, and it was almost more trouble than it was worth. The nail polish was smudged at the last moment, and had to be emergency repaired. Tea was also convinced that her hair was straying dangerously from the side of extremely glossy onto the other side of being slightly greasy. The flossing had been a little too vigorous, and her gums were bleeding a tiny bit. However, on the whole, the procedure was a success, and they had half an hour to sit down at the end of it and calm frazzled nerves.

"Here we go- a couple of biscuits to calm your stomach, and some cold water to sharpen your nerves..." Jennifer said gently, setting the tray down in front of Tea, and also passing her a cup with her medication in it. Tea, mindful of her new position as 'Work of Art', carefully flung herself at her friend for a hug.

"Did I ever mention that you're an angel? Thank you so much, Jen- you've really made me happy; it's going to be so much fun! You've done so much for me...If I can ever return the favour, let me know? Thank you so much- Kaiba won't know me, dressed so well!"

Jennifer blushed, pushed her lightly away, and straightened her dress critically.

"Honestly, Tea, it's my pleasure. You look incredible, and it's about time Mr Kaiba had some friends of our age. He really deserves some fun in his life- I've been working here for two years now, and although he's the fairest employer you could wish for, the house is too quiet for my taste. You've really brought some sunshine with you. Go on, then, eat up- I'm not having you fainting in front of the minister!"

* * *

_A/N: (1) 'Little Black Dresses' are regularly abbreviated to 'LBD's'._

_Sorry for the delay in posting, but look out for chapter nineteen, in which Tea meets Miss Mitzi Channing and Minister Taisho, and Seto learns the impracticality of giving underwear as a gift..._

_Please be courteous and tell me what you think! Thank you. xx_

* * *


	19. A Little Sinatra never hurt anyone

**Chapter Nineteen: Sinatra**

_"She loves the free, fresh wind in her hair,  
Life without care-  
She's broke, but its ok..."_ 'Lady Is A Tramp' Frank Sinatra.

She was terrified. She felt weak, she could beg off- her shoulder was still troublesome enough to provide plenty of excuses for her to have an early night. The calm she had felt earlier had vanished, leaving only insecurity, fear and unhappiness. What if she let Seto down? Or offended the minister? Or embarrassed herself? Finally, as a last resort before her fears overcame her, she did what many women have done in similar situations. She had called her mother. As Téa moved towards the stairs she suddenly stilled, mid-step. Her mother's kind and wise words rang through her mind once again.

_"Téa...I'm so proud of the woman that you've become. You've such strength, and grace, and beauty. You have a code of ethics, you have friends, you work for what you have, and you deserve all the happiness in the world. Go downstairs, and show that man who has honoured you so, that you are most worthy of that and more. And don't forget your posture."_

She straightened her spine, and very carefully pushed her shoulders back, and grinned sharkishly. Then, instead of the girlish, tottering steps she had taken before, she strode to the staircase and resting a hand on the banister, she descended like a Queen.

Seto lurked in the entrance hall to his own mansion, furious that she was late, even if only by two minutes. If the Minister had been early, it could have been disastrous! This meeting had to go well tonight; what if she was not aware of all the etiquette and social conventions that this level of society functioned within? What if she, Gods forbid, ate the salad with the fish knife, and took white wine with beef? This had been a terrible idea. He turned to Roland, who was standing behind him. The man seemed to radiate smugness recently, which was infuriating. However, there was nothing to be done about that- he knew too many secrets, and was too loyal. However, he was in for some inconvenient and inessential requests in the near future, Seto predicted, feeling smug himself at the thought.

"Roland, where the hell..."

"Ah, I believe she is just joining us now, Sir."

Seto swung around. And promptly forgot to breathe.

Every thought, every question, each calculation and plan, all paused. In the darkness of Seto Kaiba's mind, red letters flashed: System Error. Luckily, as Téa made it to ground level and sauntered across to him, Roland nudged him, and shook his brain into emergency re-boot.

Her eyes sparkled out at him curiously, made bigger and brighter than ever with cosmetics. Her skin was smooth, flawless, pale, touched by enchanting hints of a blush at her cheekbones. Her lips...Stained a seductive raspberry pink, they called to him...

He had hated her, he had dismissed her, he had been bored by her, he had condemned her, he had provoked her, and he had ignored her. Then, so recently, he had been stunned by her, turned on his head by her, taken by surprise by her. He had thanked, valued and comforted her. Now, he desired her, more than anything he had wanted in his life. It scared the hell out of him.

"Good evening, Seto, Roland. I apologise for my late arrival."

"Good evening ma'am. May I be the first to say how lovely you look tonight?"

"Why thank you, Roland."

They turned to him now, awaiting a contribution, some small talk, anything but this strange silence.

"Tea..."

Unfortunately for Seto, just as his mind caught up to the present moment, they heard the swish-crunch of Pirelli tires on expensive gravel, and Roland moved to the door. Seto offered Tea his arm, face blank, but heart pounding, as her hand rested lightly on his fore-arm. It felt like that small weight was burning through his dinner jacket sleeve. He led her to the doorway, and just as the shadow of the guests fell onto the porch, Roland opened the door.

"My dear Kaiba-san, how can you possibly think so far ahead? Those contracts have not even been scheduled for drawing up yet, and already you wish us to buy them? May I ask the cause of this hastiness?"

"Minister-san, I fear that the technology is nearing completion and that if the contract is not bought by the Japanese Government that I shall have to begin making the West aware of it. I need not add that this is not desirable for any of us, however, any delays would allow other competitors time to steal the data necessary to recreate the...product. My mansion has already been raided- I will not put Mokuba and Tea at risk longer than absolutely necessary. Surely you understand?"

Seto finished his speech with a glance at Tea and Madam Hirushiko, who had their heads together by the fireplace. Much giggling seemed to ensue from that end of the room. He had inkling that it was making Minister Hirushiko (Takedan, or 'Dan' to his close friends) just as nervous as he was.

Hirushiko Dan thought himself a good judge of character, and he had pegged Seto from Day 1. He knew that, as a business acquaintance he was only able to require a little loyalty from Kaiba, but as a longstanding friend (even if Kaiba seemed unaware of this curious one-sided friendship) he was grateful for the warning. The last thing anyone wanted was for this technology to leave the country- it had the potential to put Japan right up there with America, the UK, and Europe. No wonder that Kaiba Mansion had been violated.

"Kaiba-San, I think we may have a deal. However, you will forgive me delaying my answer to you until after dinner? I must think upon what you have said."

Seto Kaiba's blue eyes gleamed with interest and triumph, but his face was a mask of nonchalance.

"Of course, please take as long as you need. Shall we join the women?"

"If we are feeling exceedingly brave, then indeed, we shall...Your companion is a very lovely woman, Kaiba-San. May I ask how you came to know each other?"

Tea and Hirushiko Yumi were enjoying getting to know each other very much, mainly through discussion of dance, a passion for both women. Tea favoured Ballet and Ballroom styles, whereas Yumi much preferred Japanese Classical Dance, stemming from Kyoto Style Dance, famous for its connections with Noh Theatre and its elegance.

"I am due, in fact, to dance the Jo No Mai as the ghost of Empress Fujitsubo, from 'The Tale of Genji' to a select audience tomorrow night in Nara. If you wished to attend, I could request tickets for yourself and Kaiba-san?"

"Oh, Hirushiko-San, that would be lovely! I would be honoured to watch you dance. However, I must ask Seto if that would be possible. I am, unfortunately, still recovering from a recently-acquired injury, and he may think that I should rest."

"Of course! Please, let me know if you can make it, and if not tomorrow, then another time, I am sure. Please also do me the honour of calling me 'Yumi-san'?"

Tea felt her eyes well up at this uncommon honour (1), and gently laid a hand on her new friends arm.

"Of course, Yumi-san, the honour is mine. Please, I would like it very much if you would reciprocate the favour, by calling me 'Tea-san'?"

Yumi smiled widely at her friend, and nodded precisely, holding herself with a dancer's poise and grace. Tea thought of how much she could learn from this beautiful, sophisticated woman, and hoped only that she would be a worthy friend herself. Yumi, if only Tea had known, was thinking along very similar lines.

"May we join you, my dear?" Hirushiko Dan queried of his wife, as he and Seto came to sit beside the two women. Yumi smiled affectionately at her husband in reply, and Seto wished for a moment that it was Tea looking at him in that way.

"Of course, Minister, we would be honoured. I hope you are enjoying your sake?" Tea asked, glad that the minister had just sipped from his cup a minute previously. Seto looked approving, as genteel chat broke out amongst the three.

"Master Kaiba, Minister Hirushiko, Ladies. Dinner is served." Roland announced, and as Minister Hirushiko offered Tea his arm, Seto was forced to squash a serious pang of jealousy. He shook his head slightly, appalled at himself. How could he be thinking irrelevant thoughts like that at this moment, when his mind should be entirely focussed on creating a success of this evening? He offered his arm to Madam Hirushiko, and re-trained his attention upon the twinkly-eyed woman beside him. Why was she looking so damn amused, anyway?

* * *

(1) The use of first names, even with the honorific, is considered a huge privilege and position of trust in Japan.


	20. It Takes Two

**Chapter Twenty: It Takes Two, Baby.**

"_They say it's a man's world,_

_And that cannot be denied; _

_But what good's a man's world,_

_Without a woman by your side?_

_So I will wait, until that moment you decide...__."_ (Link, Hairspray)

* * *

The snow was falling more heavily outside, Tea noticed, as the Minister pulled out her chair for her at the table. She was seated next to Seto, and opposite the Minister in the centre of the long, western- style teak dining table, which, she noticed, was set with beautiful silver cutlery, ornate lacquer ware chopsticks and delicate white china, with a blue and gold thread design around the edges. Her shoulder stung in the cool of the room, and she shivered slightly.

"Roland- please build up the fire for the ladies. There is a slight draft from the hall from where the door has been open; my apologies."

Apparently Seto had noticed the cold too, Tea thought, smiling gently to herself, and recalling the flash of irritation she had marked in his eyes when he had missed his chance to take her in to dinner. It seemed that, however affected she was by his appearance in a dinner jacket, her effort had not gone to waste. She tempered her small smile, and allowed her prime distraction to pour her a little water- a little sake or wine was out of the question with her medication, as Seto knew. As she sipped at her drink, she watched Roland serve the Minister and Yumi-san their starters- Kobe beef, Koyadofu (1) and a sweet and sour soup also from the Kansai region. Conversation picked up nicely, and she found herself very much enjoying the simplicity and quality of the food, even if it was a little strange to find such a mixture of Western and traditional Japanese styles together. Yumi-san clearly shared her curiosity.

"May I ask about the beauty of your dining room, Kaiba-san?"

Kaiba considered her request, couched in a respectfully indirect fashion, and decided to answer expansively.

"Indeed- I am honoured by your interest in it! This is one of my favourite rooms; as it combines aspects of each country I have interests in which I find worthy of respect. For example, the painting at the far end is 'The Great Western Railway' from 1844, by the British artist Turner. I find this historically worthy of respect- consider that it is over 20 years before the Meiji Restoration- and that Japan's railways weren't operational until 1872 (2). We can learn from the Western world- and we have; we are now nationally proud of having the premier railway service in the world. I aim to remind myself, and my guests, that we are a people who improve life to the point of it becoming Art."

Seto eyed Minister Hirushiko, who was gazing interestedly at the painting he had selected, and smiled inwardly. It was the truth, but also a convenient point to reinforce the necessity for the Government to buy his product before another attack on either the Mansion or Kaiba Corp. Both needed to be made non-options, and quickly; the trip abroad was scheduled in the near future but not soon enough to guarantee everyone's safety. It was a sticky issue, and this was by far the best option to resolve it.

"How wonderful, Kaiba-san. Such excellent taste..." Yumi- san admired quietly. Tea nodded, interested in the concept proposed.

"Seto, Yumi-san has invited us to one of her performances in Nara tomorrow. Is that not delightful? Do you think it might be possible to attend?" Tea gently inquired, thinking to turn the conversation away from the overt flattery she knew Seto Kaiba detested above all things. She let her gaze settle on Seto's face, and immediately blushed at the warm look in his eyes.

"It should be possible to arrange for you and Mokuba to attend; as for myself, I am afraid I have an important conference call set up at nine. Perhaps we will dine together, before I fly back?"

Tea had a brief brain malfunction.

"Fly? Why would we need to fly?"

Seto's eyes creased at the sides in mirth as he stifled a smile. Minister Dan and Yumi did not restrain themselves.

"Perhaps you have forgotten the snow? It is much deeper outside of the city areas, and Nara is far enough from Kyoto that it will likely be very difficult to reach from Tokyo by car. Not forgetting that you are injured, and must remain warm and comfortable at all times. We will go by helicopter."

Seto explained, earnestly looking into Tea's eyes to detract from her mistake. She blushed endearingly, and to her relief, the plates were cleared in preparation for the main course. She settled back into her chair, and allowed relaxing conversation to flow around her, breathing out her momentary embarrassment. Seto had cleverly steered the conversation onto one of the Minister's recent business deals, and both men were hammering out the pro's and con's with the ability of veterans. Yumi-san was playing referee, and she sent Tea a small smile as voices began to raise in intensity, rolling her eyes playfully at her new friend. Tea grinned back in delight, just as she felt a small furry body brush past her foot. She squeaked, and found her three companions looking at her in confusion.

"Erm...Excuse me, but I think perhaps Ariadne has decided to join us, Seto."

The eldest Kaiba breathed in deeply, and turned to apologise to his guests, while Tea subtly enticed the kitten towards her with a strand of beef.

"Here, kitty...Ariadne...Come on, sweetheart...Be good for Tea...Darn!"

Ariadne, mischievous kitten-pixie-sprite-gremlin-demon cat that she was, has snatched the morsel and retreated to the middle of the underside of the table to eat her prize.

"Perhaps she will come to me?" Seto enquired, foolishly forgetting that while he may be one of the most powerful CEO's in Japan, he was not in fact an all powerful God- the only being that Cats deign to answer to without bribery. Ever. Tea nodded doubtfully, and Seto crouched down by his chair.

"Ariadne. Come here, right now. Or no tuna."

The kitten realised there was an unspecified amount of dirt blocking its ears, which it really should clean out right about now, and proceeded to do so.

"I'm going to count to three...One..."

Ariadne looked him right in the eyes. Then washed the white tip at the end of her tail.

"Two....Don't make me say the next one...."

Leg raised in the air, in the least dignified position left to cats, and in a move that let Seto know exactly what she thought of his tone, Ariadne decided to wash under her tail.

"Three. Right. That's it. I'm coming to get you, feline menace. And you can forget about the tuna."

To widespread disbelief, Seto Kaiba climbed under the table, and bore down on the startled kitten at great speed. Who, in terror, ran straight under Tea's chair, leaving Seto faced with a lovely view of Tea's crossed (silky-looking, long, smooth, pale, glowing- he noted-) legs and a red face. He backed up, fast, only to find that Ari had been scooped up by Tea as he'd been reversing, and was now being handed around and petted. Before long, the whole tale had come out.

"So Seto said Mokuba could keep her, in the end, and now she's just as happy with them as they are with her."

Yumi crooned as she stroked Ari's head, and Minister Dan slowly realised that he had a thought for her next birthday present. Ari stretched out on her back, allowing Tea to run a gentle finger down the soft ginger fluff covering a rather full tummy. Seto, unseen, rolled his eyes, made uncomfortable by the exposing of his decision to please Mokuba, and the memory of Tea's beautiful legs, encased in silk and graceful shoes...

"I shall return her to the kitchen now, and request finger bowls before we return to our food. She will join us later in the drawing room, if you would like?" Yumi and Tea's smiles settled this as a course of action in moments.

While Seto was ordering these things, Yumi and the Minister enquired after Tea's health, and any lingering effects of the traumatic attack on Kaiba Mansion. Trying to keep the conversation non-specific (a feeling that Seto would not like the security details of the Mansion spread any further than absolutely necessary came to mind) while explaining the horror of it all was quite tricky. So when Seto returned with servants bearing finger bowls and the next course, the smile she sent him was so sunny, warm, relieved and content that Seto almost tripped over the Persian rug. Thank goodness Mokuba, Seto-translator extraordinaire was in bed, asleep!

* * *

(1) ./eng/indepth/history/food/jfood_#Yudofu

(2) ./japanrail/History1_


	21. Teenage Dirtbag?

**Chapter 21: Two Steps forward…One Step back.**

_It's prom night and I am lonely_

_Low and behold_

_She's walking over to me_

_This must be fake_

_My lip starts to shake_

_How does she know who I am_

_And why does she give a damn about me?_

_Weatus, Teenage Dirtbag._

WARNING: Some description may be of a risqué nature, and this chapter (and the next few) intend to push boundaries a little. If you are underage, please skip ahead three paragraphs from the start in this chapter.

* * *

After dinner, they adjourned to the lounge for coffee and petits fours. Selecting a delicious looking strawberry and chocolate confection from the tray offered by Roland, Tea chatted happily to Yumi and the Minister, and tried to ignore the pangs of sleepy satisfaction tugging at her brain. Her medication still dictated her sleep patterns, and she was a long way past nine thirty! Her eyes felt heavy and languorous, and the sugary confection tasted so good…

Seto, commenting on the falling share price of a long term competitor with satisfaction, turned to glance at Tea, and caused his coffee cup to rattle in its saucer. Steadying his hand, and turning a glance into a full on stare, he watched the girl who had intruded on his life so rudely show off long dark eyelashes in one long, slow blink and then pop the strawberry and chocolate roll past her pink lips in one smooth motion, slowly lick her lips and then- his jaw practically dropping- suck on a chocolate smear that dared to coat her forefinger. As he felt his blood begin to heat, Minister Dan drew his attention away with a chuckle.

"I felt much the same about my dear wife when we first met, Kaiba-San. Tea-san is very lovely; you have a treasure there, that's for sure. I think that this is our cue to leave. Tomorrow, I will email you details for the contracts by 9am, and we can begin negotiations immediately. I would, in the meantime, be happy to offer some extra security should you desire some?" At Seto's brief headshake in refusal, he continued, "My thanks for a wonderful evening, it has been a privilege to enjoy such excellent company, food and conversation."

As Seto rose, Hirushiko Yumi rose with him, drawing Tea out of her chair in politeness. The ladies embraced, and briefly agreed to meet again soon at the Dance, thanking each other for a delightful evening. Tea asked Roland to fetch coats and wraps for their guests, as Seto bid her new friend goodnight, and they moved out into the hallway.

As their guests entered their car, Seto reached a tentative hand out to Tea, and drew her close to his side. She looked up at him in surprise, and he stared blankly out into the night after the retreating car, refusing to acknowledge the question in her eyes.

"Seto?.."

"You looked cold. Let's go inside- you're shivering."

His kindness was still surprising, but she accepted it as proof of their tiredness and an evening productively spent. It wasn't until she blinked, and realized he had escorted her all the way to her bedroom door and was standing, looking at her, a little too close. He leaned in, and her heart jumped. She stared into his eyes, even as he pushed her gently into her room and shut the door between them. Slumping back on the bed, Tea smiled up to the ceiling and closed her eyes in bliss.

Seto rested his forehead on the door for a split second, weighing up the temptation to push it open again and look into those beautiful eyes. Then, in one swirl of movement, he was walking away down the corridor and back to his study.

The next day, Jennifer woke Tea with her pain medication and a purring ball of fluff, who settled down for a cuddle in the crook of Tea's knees quite happily, while the girls chatted about the events of the night before. Stroking Ariadne and giggling about Seto's adventure under the table, they barely noticed time passing until suddenly, the conversation turned to Christmas.

"So, Tea, will you be staying with us over Christmas?" Jennifer enquired, folding a towel ready for Tea to take into the Bathroom with her when she showered. The hand Tea was running down Ariadne's back faltered for a second, and Tea blinked in surprise.

"Oh my gosh- what date is it today?" she exclaimed, realizing that in all the madness of injury and kitten, she had lost track of time, and that day when Kaiba tricked her into coming to care for Ariadne seemed to have happened months ago. A lot had changed since then.

"It's the 12th of December today, and we'll be getting a tree cut from the grounds tomorrow. Kaiba-san and Mokuba discovered and enjoyed Christmas on one of their many trips abroad, and it is much celebrated here. Are you familiar with the traditions?"

Tea shook her head. "Not very- my parents celebrate New Year more than Christmas, which is when I usually go out and celebrate with my friends. Last year we went to the arcade, and I beat Joey and Tristan in a duel- hands down! It was great. I know about presents, and dates and so on… What are the traditions here?"

Jennifer perched herself on the corner of the bed again, her face lit up with excitement.

"Well, tonight we'll start getting all the decorations out and polished and ready, and cook will bake lots of cookies and treats. Then tomorrow, we spend most of the day decorating- Roland and the men will put up lights outside, including the biggest Dragon image, all lit up like the card in blue and white, on the roof! There'll be holly on the staircase and banisters, and wreaths on the doors, and we'll put Christmas lights and candles out on each of the mantelpieces and tables. In the dining room there's a little tree with family decorations on (mostly made my Master Mokuba a few years ago at school) under which he and Kaiba-san put their presents for each other. All other gifts go under the big tree, which has little lights that look like candles strung around it and gold and red tinsel draped over it! It's beautiful, Tea! Then, over the next few days people will put their presents under the trees until they're bursting out from under the edges- you've never seen so many gifts! Each of us servants gets two from the Kaiba's, and some from each other…"

Tea broke in, unable to sit quietly and listen any more to this litany of amazing information.

"That sounds wonderful! But in the snow- how will we all buy presents? Seto says I'm still too ill to leave the house for at least another week, and I don't want to leave it too late or I might not be able to get them good enough presents! Seto's a hard one to buy for- I don't think he wants anything that he doesn't have…"

Jennifer paused thoughtfully.

"I think there are some things… Maybe you should think about it this morning, and see if you can come up with something that you can give Kaiba that he's never had enough of in his life. Come on, then- breakfast time, and you're not even showered yet! Plus, I'm pretty sure that Yugi and the boys left a bag of clothes for you when they visited, that Roland found abandoned and forgotten about in the lobby and has sent to be laundered, so you'll have some new clothes to wear tomorrow! Let's pick some warm ones- I think it might snow again…"

Pushing Ariadne off the bed with her good arm, and laughing at the indignant mew she received, as the kitten stalked off down to the other end of the bed and sat down to wash herself, Tea hopped out of bed and began her morning routine, thinking hard about Jennifer's prophetic words, and how she could get presents for Jennifer and Roland too. Perhaps she could speak to Seto about ordering them to be delivered to the house? She could borrow Mokuba's laptop to order them…

As Tea set about her work getting ready, she was thinking of potential presents for her new friends. She thanked her lucky stars that she was organized enough to have ordered the boys presents to be delivered, gift wrapped, to their houses via an online retailer in the run up to Christmas… At least that was a few people less to shop for! But what to get for the people who literally had everything they wanted at their fingertips? The obvious suggestion was to move away from material gifts, or bankrupt herself and her parents. So what could she, an average girl, give to the Kaibas?

Perhaps she could knit them hats- there would just about be time if she could start today, and if there were knitting needles and wool placed in that mornings groceries order. Black silky wool for Seto, and green chunky knit for Mokuba- and Mokuba's should have a bobble on top, whereas she could weave a small SK logo into the side of Seto's cap. They might be handy in Paris, if it was cold. Oooh! Yeas almost squealed as she came up with another idea… She could bake them special Christmas cookies in secret, using the other kitchen, although she'd have to find out what flavor each preferred, and she could make extra for Roland and Jennifer. She could even make shapes! Tea pulled on her jumper (she was still wearing the warm, oversized one she had found in her closet… It was just so comfy, and smelled so nice) and left to go and discuss putting her requests on the shopping list with Roland.


End file.
